As any local resident will be only too aware, parking enforcement is not fit for purpose in East Cambridgeshire. In our towns and villages vehicles are regularly parked on double yellow lines. This is not just an inconvenience but can cause safety issues. It was very welcome therefore that at last Thursday’s district council meeting all councillors backed a call for action.

In East Cambridgeshire parking enforcement is the responsibility of the police. National government cuts have led to a reduction of more than 20,000 police officers over the past decade. Locally last week Cambridgeshire Constabulary announced proposals to halve the number of PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers) from 80 in the county to just 40. Police resources are stretched extremely thinly and as a result activities have to be prioritised. Inevitably parking enforcement sits near the bottom of the list and gets little attention.

Nearly thirty years ago the Parliament passed the Road Traffic Act 1991 which first permitted councils to apply for the legal powers to take over the enforcement of on-street, as well as off-street, car parking regulations from the police. In return they would be allowed to keep the proceeds. A total of 314 councils out of 327 have taken on these powers and employ civil enforcement officers who issue parking tickets. I used to live in an area where the council had these powers and illegal parking was much less evident than it is in East Cambridgeshire.

At last week’s district council meeting all councillors agreed that we couldn’t continue with the existing arrangements, though there were differences of opinion regarding the most effective approach. The council’s controlling group proposed two options for council officers to explore with the Chief Constable but spoke out against the civil parking enforcement alternative. They raised concerns about a possible threat to free parking in Ely however in neighbouring Fenland District the council is investigating civil parking enforcement and does not believe it threatens free parking.

The strong preference of Lib Dem councillors was to explore all possible options to make parking enforcement fit for purpose in East Cambs. However we are left in the short term with exploring just two options with the Chief Constable. We should learn more in January when a report is due to go to the council’s Finance & Assets committee. If that identifies that neither option is viable then the council must look at alternatives. We cannot go on forever with system that is failing local residents.

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