Lambeth Parking: What we're doing

Labour brings back fair parking

Labour has ripped up the unfair Lib Dem and Tory parking rules which saw fines handed out to thousands of completely innocent motorists. Residents were left outraged and out of pocket under the Lib Dem and Tory 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/Tory 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 and Tory 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 has also ditched Lib Dem plans to double the cost of parking for everyone living in a controlled parking zone. Instead, Labour is proposing a ‘green’ approach that will ask motorists to pay different amounts depending on their vehicle’s level of carbon emissions. Cars with zero emissions will pay nothing at all while the most polluting vehicles will pay more to contribute to cleaning up the environmental damage they cause.

Labour councillor Nigel Haselden commented: “It’s only right that those responsible for causing pollution should pay a little more to clear up the damage they cause. Labour’s committed to doing what we can to protect the environment. We’re investing so that more people can choose to use public transport, walk or cycle to get around. But where people choose to have cars, we’re proposing a fairer, greener approach to parking permit charges. With Labour, Lambeth’s going green.”