Decision details

Under the terms of the original Joint Committee Agreement for the North Essex Parking Partnership approval for this decision is delegated to the Head of Public Realm, Head of Finance, Benefits and Revenues and the Head of Governance and Legal Services in consultation with the Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Commercialisation, Seafronts and Parking.

To provide a letter agreeing to a four year extension to the current Joint Committee Agreement of the North Essex Parking Partnership as requested under the terms of the original agreement signed in 2011.

Alternative Options: The Council can choose not to sign up to the four-year extension. However, if other authorities do, then on-street enforcement services would still continue in the District. In this eventuality there is a risk the Council would not be able to influence priorities and actions of the NEPP or request new TRO schemes with the same degree of involvement as currently exists. The Council has invested a significant amount of time and energy in making the partnership work and influencing how best to make it work in accordance with Tendring’s approach to car parking. Some notable successes include the partnership work agreed with the NEPP outside of schools; the improved system for introducing new parking related Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO’s), the agreement not to introduce CCTV cars in the Tendring District and a greater understanding of local needs. That said, further work is required in relation to local parking needs and eliminating the “one size fits all” approach to parking enforcement, encouraging “partnership” as opposed to “majority rules” and extending the delegation of enforcement powers to TDC employed officers to cover areas other than schools. Risk Management Implications: The financial risk for the Council relates to any deficits incurred by the NEPP which are shared equally amongst all partners. However, the on-street account has been in surplus for the last three financial years and also the NEPP has maintained a reserve fund of at least £100,000 to cover this eventuality. There is a risk that the withdrawal of the £150,000 funding for maintenance of signs and lines will mean that some areas become unenforceable and new schemes will not be developed. However, the NEPP has demonstrated over the last three years that it can generate enough surpluses on its on-street account to continue this level of funding. The NEPP does maintain a comprehensive risk register that is reviewed annually by the Joint Committee. Financial implications and Risk: In the initial agreement ECC agreed to provide: • Implementation and transitional arrangement costs up to a maximum of £124,000 • To cover any deficits on the on-street accounts for the first two years that the Partnerships operated • To provide a one-off sum of £250,000 for the Partnerships to deal with the backlog of sign and lines work • To provide £150,000 per annum for maintenance of signs and lines subject to the Annual Business Plan demonstrating that this level of support is required. In the extension to the agreement the funding of £150,000 from ECC for maintenance of signs and lines has been withdrawn as both partnerships’ financial results show that these works can be funded from the on-street surplus. However, this does not stop the NEPP applying for capital funding from ECC to introduce innovative projects that will generate further on-street revenue. Examples already identified relate to commuter parking opportunities on ECC highway land adjacent to railway stations and major transport hubs.