MARCH/APRIL Contents

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1 View this in your browser PC USERS: DON'T FORGET TO RIGHT CLICK TO VIEW THIS CORRECTLY MARCH/APRIL 2018 Contents Will's Words - A Note From The Chief Executive 2018 International Parking Community Annual Conference IPC DVLA Forum IPC DVLA Forum Panel IPC Proudly Sponsors "Parking in the Community Award" Will Private Parking Legislation be Reflected on Both Sides of Hadrian's Wall? Advertising Opportunities District Enforcement Gets Hearty Endorsement We Want Your Good News Stories Training Opportunities in April

2 A NOTE FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE With a quarter of the year now behind us, 2018 is showing no signs of abating in terms of the pace of legislative and business change. Sir Greg Knight s Parking (Code of Practice) Bill will shortly move to Committee Stage of the legislative process. Most pressing however, is the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which is set to implemented, in less than 60 days, on the 25 th of May With new legislation being at the forefront of the minds of most parking professionals, contemplating normal parking matters like issuing PCNs felt like a breath of fresh air, when I had the pleasure to be interviewed by BBC Radio WM 95.6 on the 14 th of February. During the interview, I was asked to comment on a story about a

3 Wolverhampton motorist who managed to accumulate 136 PCNs during the financial year. Totalling a staggering 6,620 in fines, I explained the process, and protocol, of how PCNs are issued, along with the debt collection process to interested BBC Radio WM 95.6 listeners. In this particular instance, all of the PCNs were handed out at the Whitmore Street Car Park in Wolverhampton. I am always happy to provide some clarity over a news story that has the potential to negatively impact upon the industry in the eyes of the public at large. As we all know, car parking is an emotioncharged topic for many, and rumours can quickly fester into facts. I was pleased to have the opportunity to dispel any PCN myths that may have been generated. The IPC Higher Education Parking Best Practice Forum was unveiled at our Macclesfield headquarters on the 7 th of February Along

4 with our friends, and founding members, Fiona Macey (University of York) and Majid Kahn (University of Leeds), the IPC Higher Education Parking Best Practice Forum was launched, and was enthusiastically endorsed by those in attendance. It didn t take long to discover the un-holy Trinity of issues that are a constant thorn in the side of parking operators within the higher education sector. Parking permits, reliable suppliers and enforcement featured prominently as points for discussion. How to resolve these issues, along with many others, will form the basis of future meetings. Special guest at the Forum launch was Libbie Bilyard from People s Parking. It s always a pleasure to see our friends from People s Parking, and consolidate the partnership between the International Parking Community (IPC) and People s Parking, an association that was ratified in September of last year. During Libbie s informative

5 presentation, she told us about the history of People s Parking, along with the manifest benefits of having a People s Parking Accreditation. The IPC Local Authority Parking Best Practice Forum was also launched in Macclesfield on the 20 th of March Those in attendance, from local authorities around the UK, welcomed the IPC s progressive approach and enjoyed participating in such a productive forum. The hot button issues that were on the minds of most, at the Forum launch, were: The need to bring transparency and efficiency savings in selecting which suppliers to work with The challenges of managing increased workloads, resources being cut and effectively managing press enquiries Supporting and streamlining the processes involved with managing appeals Learning lessons from ANPR enforcement at the Dartford Tunnel, London congestion zone, Mersey Gateway Bridge, Bus Lane and how this could possibly aid off-street enforcement. The IPC is looking forward to future meetings, and working with local authority parking professionals to assist them in meeting the unique challenges that they face. On behalf of everyone at the IPC, we wish you all continued success and look forward to assisting you in negotiating the fast moving legislative, and business, challenges facing the parking services

6 industry. Will Hurley Chief Executive Officer The International Parking Community (IPC) RETURN TO CONTENTS THE 2018 IPC ANNUAL CONFERENCE Thursday 1 st November 2018 The 2018 IPC Annual Conference will be at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Milton Keynes. For further details, including how to place a booking, contact Vicky. For sponsorship and trade enquiries please contact Pamela.

7 OUR MAIN CONFERENCE SPONSORS RETURN TO CONTENTS

8 IPC DVLA FORUM The IPC DVLA Forum took place at the DVLA in Swansea on the 22 nd of March. Along with representatives from both the IPC and the DVLA, the Forum attracted a good turnout of IPC members eager to raise issues, ask questions and receive answers on all things DVLA. Here is a quick summary of what was discussed: Soft Ticketing it was difficult to gauge how the DVLA views the practice of soft ticketing. However, a definitive stance from the DVLA will be made public in the coming weeks. DVLA Data Sharing Strategy Presentation this will be provided by the DVLA in the coming weeks, and will be distributed to you by the IPC. This will explain the DVLA s data sharing policies IPC Annual Conference - the DVLA will be a keynote speaker at our annual event. The precise content and subject matter of the DVLA s presentation will be published in the coming months. KADOE Contracts the new KADOE contracts are set to be rolled out in the first weeks of April, and must be signed and returned by the 25 th of May We can expect that changes to the KADOE contract will reflect the changes brought about by the forthcoming introduction of the GDPR.

9 DVLA Suspension Policy - the DVLA is currently drafting a suspension policy, with guidance notes. This will be distributed by the IPC to members when it becomes available. DVLA Transformation the DVLA is in the process of digitising its records to ensure greater accuracy, efficiency and is part of the DVLA s ongoing modernisation initiative. As part of their modernisation process, the DVLA will be erasing legacy data in favour of live data. RETURN TO CONTENTS IPC DVLA FORUM PANEL On the back of the first IPC DVLA Forum for 2018, we would like to announce the formation of the IPC DVLA Forum Panel. The goal of this new focus group is to help act as a liaison with the DVLA and represent fellow parking operators, and IPC members. We are calling for volunteers to join the new IPC DVLA Forum Panel. Forum members will be asked to attend two meetings each year at the DVLA in Swansea, along with two further meetings in the North West. We invite applications from all members of the International Parking Community. As part of their application, candidates are asked to outline their experience in the parking services industry, and to tell us why they think they would be a good choice to sit on the IPC

10 DVLA Forum Panel. If you would like to become a member of the IPC DVLA Forum Panel please submit your expression of interest to Vicky. RETURN TO CONTENTS IPC PROUD TO SPONSOR THE "PARKING IN THE COMMUNITY AWARD" AT THE 2018 BPA AWARDS The International Parking Community (IPC) had the great pleasure of sponsoring, and presenting, the Parking in the Community Award at the 2018 British Parking Awards, recently held at the Lancaster Hotel in London on Friday the 9 th of March. We at the IPC are always conscious that while the parking services industry is a business, the industry can only exist because it performs a social utility by enabling motorists to safely park their vehicles while they go about their daily lives and activities.

11 In sponsoring the Parking in the Community Award, the IPC wanted to exploit the synergy between being known as the International Parking Community, and to reward the fine work of the nominees whose communal initiatives, and programmes, reflect the quotidian quintessence of the parking services industry. Namely, serving their communities above and beyond being merely a commercial enterprise. While all four nominees were truly worthy finalists, there were two who stood out above the rest and left the judges little option but to announce a joint winner for the 2018 Parking in the Community Award.

12 Bromley & Bexley Shared Parking Service s Blue Badge Misuse Campaign, and Croydon Parking Services School Parking Pilot were selected as joint winners because of their manifest communal philosophy, illustrated by a proactive desire to protect the disadvantaged and the very young. Blue Badge fraud and school traffic safety are perennial parking problems for local authorities throughout the UK. In both cases, the judges were impressed with the way that both the Bromley & Bexley Shared Parking Service and Croydon Parking Services engaged directly with the communities they were seeking to protect, and how they actively sought their input to solve problems. The Bromley & Bexley Shared Parking Service s Blue Badge Misuse Campaign was an initiative that sought to restore the integrity of the Blue Badge Scheme and to prevent misuse. As a Bromley Borough Council report on Blue Badge misuse rightly points out: Having a

13 Blue Badge can potentially be a life changing asset for the holder. Blue Badge users are individuals with severe mobility-impacted health conditions. To qualify for a Blue Badge, an individual must have a permanent or substantial disability, or to be an organisation which is involved in the care of physically disabled people. The Bromley & Bexley Shared Parking Service heard of many sickening accounts experienced by Blue Badge holders at the hands of fraudsters. In some cases, legitimate Blue Badge holders were forced to abandon their journeys after arriving at their destination, only to find Blue Badge parking spaces fully occupied - such was the extent of Blue Badge fraud and abuse. The Bromley & Bexley Shared Parking Service s response was to streamline the complaints process, pursuing offenders with dedicated investigatory resources and seeking legal redress through the courts. By the 29 th of January 2018, the KentLive news website reported that 69 drivers had been prosecuted for Blue Badge fraud in Bromley.

14 Croydon Parking Services School Parking Pilot was a response to concerns about child safety when arriving at the school gates. Irresponsible parking and vehicle manoeuvring constituted a hazard for children, teachers and other road users. Croydon Parking Services addressed the problem, in the first instance, by entering into dialogue with the school communities they serve. From these discussions the Croydon Parking Services School Parking Pilot scheme was born. Using three primary school campuses as part of an initial trial, Croydon Parking Services imposed vehicular restrictions on zones adjacent to the schools between the hours of and Monday to Friday. The restricted zones were monitored by CCTV employing ANPR technology. Sanctions were phased in gradually. For the first month only warning

15 letters were issued to give time for residents and parents to become acclimatised to this sui generis school traffic safety solution. The Croydon Parking Service School Parking Pilot has been very well received and has made a perceptible difference to the safety of children arriving at school, and being picked up afterwards. The scheme has received a lot of press and television, along with a raft of enquiries from other local authorities across the UK. As you can see, to try and separate Bromley & Bexley from Croydon was impossible as both local authorities exemplified the very spirit, and essence, of what the Parking in the Community Award was designed to celebrate. RETURN TO CONTENTS

16 Will Private Parking Legislation be Reflected on Both Sides Hadrian s Wall? There are some very interesting developments taking place in the parking services industry in Scotland. Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser has introduced a Private Members Bill to the Scottish Parliament. The Proposed Regulation of Privately-Operated Car Parks (Scotland) Bill is Murdo Fraser s legislative initiative to regulate the conduct of rogue private parking companies in Scotland. Inspired by the accounts, and experiences, of some of his Mid Scotland and Fife constituents, Murdo Fraser s Private Members Bill seeks to clean up the private parking industry. Murdo Fraser feels that the way to achieve this is by introducing some of the following basic controls: Capped fines Clearer signage in car parks Removal of misleading terms on fines Introduction of Keeper Liability to mirror England and Wales

17 As we can see, these main elements of proposed legislative control largely mirror the current state of the law in England and Wales, as it pertains to the private parking services industry. This is a very interesting time for the parking services industry on both sides of Hadrian s Wall. With Sir Greg Knight s Parking (Code of Practice) Bill weaving its way through Westminster, we will watch the progress of Murdo Fraser s Private Members Bill with interest. RETURN TO CONTENTS ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES The IPC would like to offer advertising opportunities across our various media platforms. The three main platforms we can offer to potential advertisers are: The new and improved IPC website Our monthly news bulletin Trade displays at our annual conference Our new website is now live and I'm sure you will agree it is a marked improvement on our old website in terms of style and presentation. Advertising space on our new website is, essentially, virgin soil for any advertiser and will ensure a motivated readership. Our old website received thousands of hits, so with the brand new website now online, this is an advertising opportunity not to be missed.

18 Also, don't forget that our monthly news bulletin has an extremely broad subscription base. We can offer ample opportunity, and space, for trade displays at The IPC Annual Conference. The IPC Annual Conference attracts a veritable who s who from the parking services industry. Additionally, we can make provision for bespoke advertising (one-off projects or extended campaigns) across our media platforms, subject to approval and compatibility with the IPC s vision and values. For details and prices please contact Vicky. RETURN TO CONTENTS DISTRICT ENFORCEMENT GETS HEARTY ENDORSEMENT Car park operator, and IPC member, District Enforcement Ltd recently installed a heart defibrillator at Lancing s Beach Green pay and display carpark in West Sussex. District Enforcement Ltd is contracted by the Lancing Parish Council to oversee its pay and display carparks at Beach Green and Widewater, both sites are adjacent to the ever popular beaches on the South Coast. The IPC applauds District Enforcement Ltd s altruism and community spirit. Car parks are often hubs for social activity, and to locate such

19 an important piece of lifesaving equipment in a car park, frequented by beach goers, holiday makers as well as local residents, makes perfect sense. RETURN TO CONTENTS WE WANT YOUR GOOD NEWS STORIES Great customer service often goes unnoticed and is too easily taken for granted. We would like to share the great work of our members with the rest of the community - as exemplified in the previous article with District Enforcement Ltd. We know from our discussions with members, there are countless examples of excellence in customer service right across the parking sector. We re always eager to shine a spotlight on the best initiatives and stories to show just what can be achieved when customer expectations are exceeded. Please let us know of any examples in your own operations by sending us a short summary ideally with a few photos for inclusion in future bulletins, and in our forthcoming online communications. Details should be sent to contact@theipc.info. RETURN TO CONTENTS

20 TRAINING COURSES AVAILABLE IN APRIL Parking Charge Notice (PCN) Administration Next date: 19th APRIL Macclesfield BOOK NOW FOR PCN ADMINISTRATION IN MACCLESFIELD Duration 1 Day 150 (IPC Members) 199 (Non-Members) Appeals Training Next date: 24th April Central London BOOK NOW FOR APPEALS TRAINING IN CENTRAL LONDON Duration 1/2 Day 99 (IPC Members) 129 (Non-Members) RETURN TO CONTENTS

21 Member Helpline - Please all be aware the member helpline phone number is Public Helpline - Please ensure motorists are provided with the public number Copyright 2018 The IPC All rights reserved Our mailing address is: The IPC PO Box 662 Macclesfield Cheshire SK10 9NR United Kingdom Want to change how you receive these s? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.