Agenda item

Report ES18089

Members considered performance of the Parking Services Contractor APCOA (enforcement of parking restrictions, maintenance of Council car parks, maintenance of pay and display machines, and back office functions). 

Although APCOA had a number of challenges in year one of the contract, the second year has seen an improvement in service areas and performance is satisfactory.

On enforcement, Report ES18089 provided figures on PCNs issued annually from 1^st April 2013 to 31^st March 2018 i.e. those issued by Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) and those issued as a result of CCTV cameras for bus Lanes and those capturing offences on school zigzag restrictions. Figures on PCNs predicted for 2018 /19 were also provided. Although fewer CEO issued PCNs are predicted, enforcement will no longer take place on shared use bays in seven roads from 18:30 – 20:00 during a review of Bromley Town Centre - the signage causing confusion for drivers. Compliance, rather than poor deployment, might have also increased and this is being investigated; however, enforcement requests had increased 132% in the previous three years with only 29% of requests this year resulting in a PCN. Such enforcement visits can take CEOs away from busier areas (e.g. town centres and car parks) and work is ongoing to maintain enforcement in these areas. The existing KPI on responding to enforcement requests within a set time (depending on time of day) is being considered in favour of a more targeted approach and website information on enforcement requests will be reviewed.

APCOA are also reviewing beat sheets (with Council assistance) to ensure adequate enforcement around the borough and intelligence led deployment. Since October 2018, APCOAhave additionally trialled a vehicle with ANPR camera technology in permit zones. Updated twice daily with permit information, the technology detects a vehicle without a valid permit and a CEO issues a PCN for a contravention. Data indicates a successful use of the vehicle enabling CPZs to be covered more efficiently with CEOs reallocated to busier parts of the borough. Investment in further ANPR vehicles will be considered upon a full analysis of the trial.

As a further initiative, virtual briefings in parts of the borough will enable CEOs to head directly to their beat rather than attend APCOA’s main office each morning. This is being considered to decrease CEO travel time and enable more enforcement.

To reduce staff turnover, ACPOA are reviewing the level of CEO remuneration and a new Contract Manager will start in February 2019. A joint compliance review will also start, with monthly reports analysing roads needing visits to ensure efficient enforcement borough-wide. Of defaults applied so far this year, 73.75% concern enforcement.

Concerning Council-run car parks, Parking Services are investigating reduced usage and will compare use to those of non-Council car parks in the area. An APCOA proposal to improve the Civic Centre Car Park is also being considered. Of defaults applied so far this year, 3.77% have related to car park maintenance, Pay and Display machine maintenance, and cleaning of car parks.

Defaults at 17.24% have been triggered by business processing covering PCN administration e.g. logging appeals on time, banking cheque payments, answering emails, printing formal documents, and registering cases with the Traffic Enforcement Centre and Enforcement Agents (Bailiffs). The Business Processing Section also covers permit processing including applications for resident and business permits (and verifying evidence before application approval) as well as covering the sale of visitor vouchers.

To adapt contract and service delivery to meet changes in the parking service, all KPIs in the APCOA contract will be reviewed every two years and where necessary amended, added to, or removed. All KPIs for the contract were appended to Report ES18089. Each month they are reviewed and where necessary a default is charged against APCOA. For any financial loss to the Council some of the loss can be recovered. In the first year of the contract (2017/18), 12% of the overall contract price was paid back by APCOA in performance related reductions. As the year proceeded, APCOA improved in their monthly development and for the second year of the contract (2018/19) from April to November, APCOA paid 2% of the overall contract price in performance related reductions.

Report ES18089 was considered by the Public Protection and Enforcement PDS Committee at its meeting on 30^th January 2019 and a draft minute of the Committee’s consideration of the item was tabled for Members. Mr Ken Stone, Regional Manager, APCOA also attended for the item alongside the Head of Shared Parking Services.

For the trial use of an APNR vehicle, data from the trial is being collated and APCOA are looking to obtain full results of success or otherwise in certain areas. The Committee will be updated at its meeting on 9^th April 2019.

To enforce against parking on zig-zag lines outside schools, moveable cameras are used. The cameras are due to be moved in April 2019 and consideration is being given to where they should be placed. Further cameras will be procured before the end of the financial year and Members supported the purchase of as many cameras as can be used across restrictions. The Chairman considered this an important safety measure. Accordingly, Members formally recommended that the Portfolio Holder resolve to arrange their purchase.

In regard to raised parking on kerbs of roads in Biggin Hill (where it was necessary to do so), a special message can be sent to CEOs directing that no enforcement action be taken in such cases.

The Chairman highlighted concerns in regard to the Council’s multi-storey car parks at the Civic Centre and The Hill. Payment machines were poor and frequently out of service, new notes and coins are not always accepted, and the machines take some time to use. For The Hill, queues can form down Beckenham Lane to enter the car park. The Chairman felt that use of the car parks should be a good experience, particularly with free parking at competitor shopping centres. 

Two main defaults had been issued to APCOA for payment machines. One related to a machine being out of order for 24 hours and the other concerned a problem taking three days to resolve. Some machines fail each day but are fixed within the KPI time frame - APCOA have a team to fix such problems. However, the Chairman felt it should not be necessary to have a team and understood the Glades Car Park does not have the problem. He added that the machines (at The Hill and Civic Centre Car Parks) need to be replaced. Concerning the Civic Centre Car Park, officers were looking to submit a report in April on changes to the car park. The Chairman suggested an easy process and more people would pay for a good service with technology. Responsibility for the machines rests with APCOA; there might be a need to review KPIs (related to repair) and KPI related material will be included in the future report  on the Civic Centre Car Park.

On the reduced level of PCNs issued, the previous contractor had four KPIs compared to 10 associated with the enforcement section of the current contract. It is necessary to look at whether the KPIs are working (effectively) particularly in regards to deployment. CEO time needs to be spent in places enabling effective enforcement and this will be taken forward as the next piece of work for Parking Services/APCOA. Although CEOs are required to attend locations highlighted by enforcement requests (and respond within time), the activity diverts CEOs from busy areas. Parking Services and APCOA need to undertake work for the relevant KPI to operate as it should. CEO transport from one location to another also needs to be reviewed. APCOA currently provide an incentive for moped use although some CEOs prefer to drive to locations.

On staffing, APCOA now have three contract managers covering (i) off-street parking, (ii) processing, and (iii) enforcement. With staff retention an issue, CEO pay is already above the national living wage and a 2% pay award is being looked at for 2019/20.

To ensure that progress continues, the Chairman felt that APCOA’s performance should be considered again by the Committee in a further six months. 

RESOLVED that:

(1)  the content of Report ES18089 be noted, particularly on-going work to ensure adequate deployment and compliance around the borough; and

(2)  the Portfolio Holder be recommended to resolve that arrangements are made to purchase an appropriate number of moveable cameras to enforce against contraventions of zig-zag line restrictions outside schools.