The Clean and Green Policy Development Committee met on Tuesday 27 January 2026 to discuss a comprehensive review of the council's parking services, with a particular focus on recommendations arising from five workshops held between July 2025 and January 2026. Key decisions and discussions included proposals for emission-based parking permits, the introduction of a vehicle removal service and car pound, revisions to controlled parking zones (CPZs) and penalty charge notices (PCNs), improvements to disabled parking provisions, and a broader review of the council's overall parking strategy.

Parking Permit System Reforms

The committee reviewed recommendations for reforming the parking permit system. A significant proposal is the consideration of introducing emission-based charging for resident and business permit holders, with a commitment to exploring appropriate mitigations for lower-income households. This approach is gaining traction across London and beyond, linking permit costs to a vehicle's tailpipe emissions.

Further recommendations include a review of the current system for issuing free visitor vouchers to disabled badge holders, proposing instead the introduction of a free carer's permit available to those needing care at home, irrespective of disability status. This aims to address the gap where not all individuals needing care have a disabled badge, and vice versa. The council also intends to continue its practice of issuing free resident permits to disabled badge holders within controlled parking zones.

Additionally, the committee discussed the anomaly of charging administration fees for free permits. It was recommended that the council consider dropping the administration fee for permits that are already issued free of charge, such as those for disabled badge holders. Finally, to address the issue of residents with non-UK registered vehicles, the council is considering introducing a specific three- or six-month permit for such vehicles owned by residents living in controlled parking zones.

Vehicle Removal Service and Car Pound

A major discussion point was the absence of a vehicle removal service and car pound in Redbridge, a facility common in many other London boroughs. The committee considered recommendations to adopt such a service, which would be included in the impending tender for the civil enforcement service contract currently held by APCOA. The proposed service would allow for a pound facility located outside the borough, provided it is within a 30-minute drive or one-hour public transport journey from a designated borough midpoint.

Key features of the proposed service include:

• Operation six days a week with two tow trucks for adequate coverage.
• Adoption of national persistent evader legislation to deal with vehicles with multiple unpaid penalty charge notices.
• Prioritisation of tow truck activities for the most serious parking contraventions, such as parking in disabled bays, bus lanes, school keep clears, and on loading restrictions.
• Contractual responsibility for the service provider covering the entire process, including vehicle disposal, with key performance indicators (KPIs) and penalties for failure to dispose of vehicles in a timely manner.

Concerns were raised about the current effectiveness of the public hotline for reporting illegal parking, with issues related to call answering capacity and potential technology problems. The council acknowledged these issues and plans to improve the service level for the phone line in the retendered contract, alongside the introduction of an online reporting form.

Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) and Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs)

The committee discussed the current approach to introducing Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs), which is largely reactive, relying on resident petitions. This often results in small, fragmented schemes. Recommendations were made to develop a strategic plan for potential CPZ boundaries to provide a clearer overview of future possibilities.

To address displacement issues, where parking pressure shifts to adjacent streets when controls are introduced, the council is considering options for adjacent streets to opt-in to an impending CPZ. The quality of consultation materials for CPZs was also discussed, with a recommendation to include more before and after examples to illustrate the benefits of these zones.

Furthermore, there is a recognised need to increase resourcing and engagement capacity for more proactive and higher-quality engagement with residents regarding CPZs. The committee also explored the potential for shared-use bays where appropriate, moving beyond the current predominant model of resident-only bays. Enforcement is to continue following London Councils' guidelines, and a standard member pack is to be produced to clarify guidance on PCN engagement for councillors.

Disabled Parking Provisions

Discussions on disabled parking highlighted the growing number of blue badge holders in Redbridge (currently 14,000) and the associated pressures on disabled bays. Recommendations include the introduction of time-limited disabled bays in high street and shopping areas to ensure turnover, with feedback from a workshop with the disability group One Place East suggesting a three- or four-hour limit would be more appropriate than the previously considered two hours.

The council will continue its voluntary concessions, including all-day free parking for blue badge holders in off-street car parks, free resident permits for blue badge holders, and allowing blue badge holders to park for three hours in resident-only bays. A key recommendation is to replace the current policy of giving free visitor vouchers to blue badge holders with a dedicated carer's permit.

The committee also recommended that the council lobby for an increase in the replacement fee for blue badges, currently £10, as evidence suggests that claiming lost badges can be a source of fraudulent activity. It was also proposed to bolster the council's commitment to carrying out specific blue badge fraud operations, with any recovered costs being reinvested into this activity. Modernisation of the traffic order making process to ensure local publication of disabled bay orders was also recommended.

Overall Parking Strategy Review

The final workshop focused on the overarching purpose of parking controls. Recommendations include ensuring any refreshed parking strategy clearly states its purpose, aligning operational tools with wider objectives such as road safety, accessibility, air quality, and placemaking. The strategy should be underpinned by principles of fairness, equality of access, prioritisation of safety and vulnerable road users, effective management of limited kerb space, and transparency regarding parking controls as a demand management tool rather than a revenue-raising function. Work will be undertaken to translate this strategy into practical policy options, including consistent CPZ design, permit reforms, targeted enforcement, and kerbside management. A key element will be improving how the council communicates, informs, and engages with residents about parking controls. The committee noted the proactive approach taken by the Royal Borough of Greenwich in developing its parking strategy as a model for engagement.

A draft report on these discussions is expected to be completed by 13 February 2026, with a final version by the end of February, in preparation for the next meeting on 10 March 2026.