Labour scraps Lib Dem parking profit incentives

Councillor Lib Peck and Nigel Haselden ripping up the Lib Dems and Tories parking contract

Labour has ripped up the unfair Lib Dem and Tory parking rules which saw fines handed out to thousands of completely innocent motorists.

Resdents were left outraged and out of pocket under the Lib Dem system which handed massive profit bonuses to the parking contractor for issuing more and more tickets. Parking attendants were encouraged to meet sky-high Lib Dem ticketing targets by slapping tickets on cars that were parked perfectly legally as they tried to milk motorists dry.

Labour's new arrangement takes away incentives to issue tickets, and replaces them with incentives for attendants to treat motorists fairly.

Cllr Lib Peck, Labour's Cabinet member responsible for parking, said:

"Under the Tories and Lib Dems, parking policy in Lambeth was greedy and unfair. Labour promised to bring back fair parking, and we are delivering on that promise just weeks after winning the election.

"This is a fresh start on parking. We have listened to residents who told us they were unhappy with the profiteering Lib Dem rules that encouraged overzealous ticketing. Instead, we are putting in place a parking policy that is firm but fair."

Under the new terms of the contract:

* Profit incentives for issuing more and more tickets have been scrapped.

* Parking attendants will be carefully monitored to ensure they behave properly and considerately, with mystery shoppers being used. The contractor will be rewarded if parking attendants behave respectfully, but penalised if they hand out tickets unfairly or are rude.

* Performance will be monitored to ensure high standards of fairness are maintained. These include monitoring whether streets are kept clear of illegally parked vehicles.

* The contract will be carefully monitored by Labour councillors to ensure it is working for residents, and will be fully reassessed when it comes up for renewal in 2008.

Labour councillor Nigel Haselden welcomed the return to fair parking. He added:

"We will keep a close eye on this new contract to ensure it is working for residents. Under the Tories and Lib Dems the balance was not right because of the financial pressure on parking attendants to issue tickets unfairly. Labour is making parking a service that works on behalf of residents instead of the Lib Dem approach which turned it into a money-making tax on residents."

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