The Climate Action, Environment and Highways Policy and Scrutiny Committee met to review the impact of the parking fee structure review and scrutinise the work of the City Inspectors and the Street Based Intervention Team. Key decisions included recommendations to refine parking fee bands and improve support for tradespeople, and to enhance engagement with businesses and councillors regarding City Inspectorate activities.

Parking Fee Structure Review

The committee scrutinised the impact of the parking fee structure review, which introduced emissions-based charging (EBC) for pay-to-park and resident permits. Councillor Max Sullivan, Cabinet Member for Streets, highlighted the importance of air quality and supported the effectiveness of the new approach.

Members raised several points regarding the EBC scheme:

• Impact of EBC: Concerns were raised about whether the current charging structure sufficiently incentivised the use of environmentally friendly vehicles, particularly given the concentration of vehicles in bands three and four. An erroneous arrow in a dataset was noted, prompting questions about the actual change in environmentally friendly car usage.
• Tradespeople Permits: The committee sought clarity on the impact of the changes on tradespeople, especially those with electric vehicles, and how the council planned to support them better in the future.
• Environmental Improvements and Street Cleaning: A breakdown of how the £14.2 million from the Parking Places Reserve Account (PPRA) attributed to environmental improvements and street cleaning in 2023/24 had been spent was requested. Members also asked for the breakdown for the 2024/25 period once available.
• Pay-to-Park Bands: The committee recommended that the council consider expanding the current bands for pay-to-parking to more fairly split the concentration of vehicles currently seen in bands three and four.
• Data-Led Approach: Clarity was sought on the data supporting the intelligence picture beyond the national census, which is only compiled every ten years.
• Consultation Threshold: Members inquired about what future changes to parking fees and charges would trigger consultation with residents.
• User Research: It was suggested that the council develop a better understanding of why people still choose to drive, which could inform more appropriate management strategies and alternative offerings.
• Nudging Behaviours: The committee questioned the extent to which pricing nudges behaviour, given that many people may not be aware of their charges or the reasons behind them, and may park regardless of price fluctuations.
• Initial Consultation: Questions were raised about how the initial consultation could have been advertised to increase participation and potentially elicit a more positive response, and whether the benefits of EBC, such as air quality improvements, could have been better presented.
• Key Workers: The committee asked whether key workers were issued with special parking permits in Westminster.
• Embassy and Foreign Registered Cars: The committee inquired about how the council issues and pursues Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) for embassy or foreign-registered vehicles, and whether variable PCN rates based on vehicle value or other less regressive methods were possible.
• Additional Enforcement: Members asked if increased parking revenue would be used for additional enforcement and if existing CCTV cameras could be used to identify and charge parking offences.
• Councillor Feedback: The committee asked if councillors could suggest potential box junctions for problematic junctions.

Information Requests:

• The committee requested a breakdown of how the £14.2 million from the PPRA attributed to environmental improvements and street cleaning in 2023/24 had been spent.
• The committee requested the total sums collected and intended distribution of the PPRA for the most recent reporting period (2024/25) once available.

Recommendations:

• The committee recommended that the council consider expanding the current bands listed for pay-to-parking to more fairly split up the concentration currently seen in bands three and four.
• The committee recommended that the council give additional thought to how it can make parking easy and affordable for tradespeople, particularly those with electric vehicles.

City Inspectors and the Street Based Intervention Team

The committee scrutinised the work and management of the City Inspectors and the Street Based Intervention Team (SBIT). Councillor Max Sullivan, Cabinet Member for Streets, and Councillor Aicha Less, Cabinet Member for Children and Public Protection, introduced the report, highlighting the introduction of the SBIT and the necessary coordination with other services. They praised the work and training of the City Inspectors.

Key discussion points included:

• Clustered Priorities: Questions were raised about how ward clusters were determined, how priorities are agreed, and the level of engagement at neighbourhood coordination meetings. Clarity was sought on what was meant by members being asked about local priorities each month.
• Recruitment and Retention: The committee inquired about opportunities made available to residents, efforts to retain talent, and the development and promotion opportunities for City Inspectors.
• Tables and Chairs Licensing: The committee asked whether licensing rates could vary across the city depending on the size of the business.
• Stakeholder Relationship Management: Members asked how engagement with businesses, particularly bars and clubs, could be improved to foster understanding that regulation is not about targeting them. They also inquired if the council would consider measuring satisfaction with the service.
• Shift Patterns: While acknowledging the inspectors' work, members questioned the distribution of their work across wards and highlighted issues with shift patterns, asking how shifts were covered when inspectors were seemingly unavailable for extended periods. They also asked for the protocol for 'out of office' emails, especially during busy holiday periods.
• Neighbourhood Coordination Meetings: It was suggested that these meetings be held at different times, potentially outside traditional working hours, to increase attendance from a wider pool of people, including councillors.
• Tackling Commercial Waste: The committee addressed the growing problem of commercial waste left on the street and the role of private contractors.
• Communication with Councillors: The committee sought clarity on how communication is issued to councillors and whether a dedicated contact point could be provided for councillors to report urgent incidents. They also asked about exclusive emergency numbers for Cabinet Members.
• Dashboard of Incidents: The committee suggested the council consider creating a dashboard of incidents accessible to relevant ward councillors.
• Tackling ASB: Drawing on incidents around Westminster Bridge and Adelphi Terrace, members identified the increasing challenge of tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) and noise, emphasising the importance of close liaison with the police.
• Contributions from Organisers of Mass Gatherings: The committee asked whether the council could seek reimbursement for cleanup costs resulting from organised mass gathering events and whether the English Football Association (FA) could be approached for a cost-sharing agreement for events involving team gatherings before high-profile fixtures.
• Report It: While acknowledging improvements, members asked if efforts were ongoing to ensure all reports logged on 'Report It' were fully integrated with 'MyWestminster' and that residents always received a response.
• New Tasking Model: Clarity was sought on how the new tasking model would operate and whether it would involve abstractions.
• Pop-up Release Events: The committee inquired whether temporary event notices were required for pop-up releases of new products and the involvement of City Inspectors, given the disturbances experienced, particularly when they lead to street camping.
• PSPOs (Public Space Protection Orders): The committee asked how new responsibilities from enhanced PSPOs would be incorporated into City Inspectors' duties and how this might help tackle emerging issues from trends like flash parties and loitering bikes.
• Management of Backfill: The committee encouraged the council to consider its management of backfill when City Inspectors are temporarily assigned to other areas or taken from their usual duties.

Action:

• The committee requested that the issues highlighted on 'Report It', in terms of ordering and sequencing, be provided for further investigation.

Information Requests:

• The committee requested a breakdown of the primary action categories of City Inspectors at a ward level.
• The committee requested an outline of the established structure and pathway for councillors to report incidents that might occur in their wards.

Recommendations:

• The committee recommended that the council consider increasing outreach, engagement, and potentially feedback with businesses that interact with City Inspectors, particularly regarding licensing issues.
• The committee recommended that the council consider holding neighbourhood coordination meetings outside of traditional working hours to increase the pool of potential councillors who can engage with them.
• The committee recommended that the council engages with the Football Association to work towards an agreement whereby clubs would contribute to the cost of cleanup for mass fan gathering events.
• The committee recommended that the council promotes the positive contributions of City Inspectors.
• The committee recommended that the council ensures ward councillors are adequately informed and communicated with regarding incidents that might emerge in their ward, with consideration given to a dashboard of incidents.