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Stamford Parking Update

After much lobbying, Lincolnshire County Council has, at the eleventh hour, agreed a framework to allow SKDC to issue temporary permits which will allow residents exemption from the one and two hour time-limits on-street.

Enforcement across Lincolnshire from Monday 3 December

Don't forget that enforcement of all existing on-street parking regulations begins on Monday 3 December across the whole of Lincolnshire.

You risk a £70 fine if you break the rules.

Positive clarification from SKDC

Residents' representatives had a very positive meeting earlier today with the SKDC officer responsible for residents' parking.  Points of clarification included:-

SKDC Launches Its First Consultation on a Residents' Parking Policy

SKDC has now finally published a draft Residents’ Parking Policy and sent it out for consultation.  Responses to the consultation must be sent to them by Friday 5^th October.

Lincolnshire Parking Enforcement Date is announced

Lincolnshire County Council has announced on its website that its contractor will commence on-street parking enforcement on Monday 3rd December...

Excellent coverage on BBC Radio Lincolnshire this morning

There was excellent coverage of our campaign on BBC Radio Lincolnshire this morning. Listen to it here on iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00x9xsr/The_Breakfast_Show_with_Rod_Whiting_05_09_2012/

There are two interviews and the coverage begins 2:38:10 into the programme.

SKDC Press Release

SKDC has posted a press notice on its website, here:

http://www.southkesteven.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=4643

We await the arrival of the actual consultation documentation.....

Ominously, the press notice is very short on detail about interim measures to assist residents immediately after enforcement commences.

SKDC is about to reveal all .......?

The SKDC officer in charge of parking policy has just told us the following:-

WHAT WOULD BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO PROTEST?

What would be the most effective ways to protest against SKDC's totally inadequate response to our requests for a permit scheme to be brought in before parking enforcement begins later this year?

We've already asked people to consider a picket of the next SKDC Cabinet meeting on 1st October, but please add your comments below about the sort of protests you think we should be considering....

The Latest from South Kesteven District Council

In an email to one of the campaigners in central Stamford on 21 August, SKDC Leader Mrs Neal said:

SKDC "One Year Delay" reported in Stamford Mercury

http://www.stamfordmercury.co.uk/news/local/crack-down-on-rogue-motorists-in-stamford-and-the-deepings-to-start-in-october-1-4100313

Another letter to SKDC leader, Mrs Neal

The following letter was sent a couple of days ago to Mrs Neal.

Dear Mrs Neal,

SKDC - Your council NOT working for you

The St Peter's Community Group has also made it clear to SKDC that a permit parking scheme for residents is essential and strongly supported.  Cllr Linda Neal met with us in 2009 to discuss this, so it is hard to believe that in 2012 we are apparently no nearer getting a scheme because appropriate action has not been taken, and the likelihood is that this will not happen until after CPE comes in. It is impossible to get a response from SKDC to what appear very straightforward questions about progress on this matter - why is the council so inept?

STAMFORD: Water Street & Station Road

Residents of Water Street & Station Road in Stamford have organised to apply for a Residents' Permit Scheme.
Residents of both streets were written to and all their responses were in favour of having a scheme.

St Leonard's Street Area in Stamford formally applies for a Residents' Permit Scheme

The St Leonard's Street neighbourhood has written to SKDC as follows:

Following our meeting with you and Frances Cartwright back in May, I have written to all the households in St Leonard’s Street, Brazenose Lane, Gas Lane, Brownlow Terrace, the top end of  St George’s Street, and the north side of Wharf Road between its junction with Gas Lane and its junction with St Leonard’s Street, in Stamford.

In my letter to them, I asked them for their view on the following proposal:-

“South Kesteven District Council should make an application to the Lincolnshire County Council to operate a Residents’ Permit Parking Scheme for residents of St Leonard’s Street and Brazenose Lane and adjoining streets¹ who have no access to off-street parking on their property. The scheme would provide exemption from the two-hour parking limits on St Leonard’s Street and Brazenose Lane but would not guarantee the holder a parking space at any time.

¹Adjoining streets include St George’s Street, Gas Lane, Brownlow Terrace, and the north side of Wharf Road from the bottom of Gas Lane to the junction with St Leonard’s Street. Developments with their own parking such as Danegeld Place, Watergate, and Old School Court are not included.”

I received 81 responses – 80 in favour and one against. Of the 80 in favour, 12 households indicated that they have off-street parking available at their properties and the remaining 68 indicated that they do not.

As a result, I should be grateful if you would treat this email as a formal request from these households to SKDC to apply to the Lincolnshire County Council to provide a Residents’ Permit Scheme as described above.

Stamford Town Council briefed on CPE by LCC Officer

At the end of June Brian Thompson, the LincsCC officer in charge of on-street parking, briefed Stamford Town Council as follows:-

• The CPE implementation date was still October 2012.
• APCOA would be responsible for enforcement.
• Nottinghamshire CC would be responsible for collecting fines.
• Residents would get one week’s warning/period of grace when CPE is implanted, after that enforcement would start.
• The best case scenario for the introduction of any permit parking scheme would be 6 months after CPE comes in: the delay is due to lack of action on SKDC’s part.
• SKDC Communities Policy Development Group would visit Stamford in July to assess the situation

Nobody from any of the Stamford community groups involved in this issue were invited to attend.

 

Latest correspondence with LCC's Executive Councillor for Highways & Transport

Richard,
My second sentence referred to an agreed arrangement of some kind between SKDC and residents, approved and implemented by LCC's CPE contractor, and legally enforceable.

I mentioned other groups as they would be consulted as part of the normal process for implementing a Traffic Regulation Order. You are correct that we would be ready to process an application at any time.

Has SKDC done ANYTHING?

I don't know why Linda Neal is giving the impression of supporting the cause but not seemingly getting anything done in a timely manner. In recent correspondence from her she was still expressing what she "aims" to do, rather than what she "is" doing.  Worrying. Why is she so behind with this? 

SKDC publishes FAQs on Residents' Parking

SKDC published the following FAQ document on Tuesday 23rd April.
Most of its contents are copied directly from the LCC's Parking Policy which was published in January. Those part of it which are not LCC policy have not yet been formally adopted by SKDC as its official policy........

Stamford: Download the Residents' Permit Parking Campaign Poster

Click here to download

Stamford Chamber of Trade & Commerce President Opposes Residents' Parking Permits

On Friday 13th April, The Stamford Mercury reported:

Residents' Parking in Sleaford

North Kesteven District Council is expected to apply to Lincolnshire County Council to run a Residents' Parking Scheme in Sleaford as part of its Sleaford Masterplan programme. 

Latest letter to SKDC Leader, Linda Neal

Dear Mrs Neal,
Thank you for re-iterating your political commitment on this issue, and for doing this so promptly.

Latest from The Stamford Mercury

Good coverage of the Stamford campaign in the Stamford Mercury on Friday 6th April: http://www.stamfordmercury.co.uk/news/local/residents-continue-to-call-for-parking-permit-scheme-to-be-introduced-in-stamford-1-3709724

STAMFORD: Response from SKDC Leader Mrs Neal.....

Mrs Neal last night sent out what appears to be a standard response to the many emails sent to her following the reporting of her recent comments......

A Summary of the current situation on the Stamford Campaign

Why is a Residents’ Parking Permit Scheme needed?

Many Stamford residents live in properties which have no off-street parking on streets which have a two-hour parking restriction during the daytime Monday to Saturday. This two hour limit has not been enforced for the past ten years, but enforcement will begin in the autumn when responsibility for all street parking  passes from the Police to the Lincolnshire County Council.  The enforcement will cause much inconvenience and expense to people who live in properties which have no off-street parking, particularly on Saturdays and particularly to those, mostly retired people, who do not often need to use their cars during the day.

What sort of scheme is being asked for?

All of the various residents’ groups in central Stamford agree that ‘Residents’ Only’ parking bays would be inappropriate in a situation where there is a scarcity of parking.  We have no problem with the idea that parking should always be on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis.  We should simply like to have permits exempting us from the two-hour parking restriction on streets. We are not asking for free parking in SKDC car parks, and accept that our permits will not be free because the scheme should not be subsidised by our fellow council-tax payers. As reported in the Mercury last year “This is not a big ask”.

How can a scheme be brought in?

There has been much debate between LCC and the District Councils about this, but LCC has now adopted a policy on parking which allows District Councils to propose residents’ schemes for it to approve.

So what’s the problem?

Before Christmas, Linda Neal, the Leader of our District Council, the SKDC, was for the first time saying that she supported Residents’ Parking in Stamford and that SKDC would bring in a scheme. This was reported in the Stamford Mercury and was stated in emails she sent to campaigners.  On that basis it was our belief that SKDC was readying itself to start consultations on introducing a scheme.

However, last week, in an extraordinary volte-face, Mrs Neal told the St Peter’s Community Group that “Introducing a permit parking scheme is entirely outside the control of the District Council, and there is nothing that SKDC can do to initiate any permit parking scheme."  This is demonstrably untrue, and implies that Mrs Neal cannot be trusted to keep her word.  What is particularly despicable is that she has made this declaration at a point where there is very little time now left to have a scheme in place when enforcement begins in the autumn……

Why should you help us?

If residents who live on streets with a two-hour limit risk being fined when enforcement begins they will park on the nearest street where there are no restrictions, thus simply moving the problem of parking elsewhere in the town, so the problem does affect us all. 

What can you do?

Please support us by emailing SKDC Leader, Mrs Neal l.neal@southkesteven.gov.uk  , the Stamford Mercury smeditor@stamfordmercury.co.uk  , & BBC Lincolnshire lincolnshire@bbc.co.uk  to make your views known.

Unhelpful comments from SKDC Leader, Mrs Linda Neal

South Kesteven District Council leader, Mrs Linda Neal, attended a question and answer session with Stamford's St Peter's Community Group recently and was asked about Residents' Parking Permit Schemes for the town. The relevant section of the minutes of this meeting are reproduced below.

In them Mrs Neal states "Introducing a permit parking scheme is entirely outside the control of the District Council, and there is nothing that SKDC can do to initiate any permit parking scheme.". This clearly contradicts the stated policy of Lincolnshire County Council that District Councils should propose any schemes they wish to operate in their areas to LCC for approval.

Clarification will be sought from Mrs Neal to ensure that SKDC will make such a proposal to LCC for Stamford as soon as possible....

LCC's new parking policy has been published

Lincolnshire County Council's parking policy has now been modified following the recent public consultation.

It is available at

http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/residents/transport-travel-and-roads/street-services/traffic-management/civil-parking-enforcement/lincolnshire-county-council-parking-policy/104645.article