Telford & Wrekin Council to apply to take over parking powers from police
Telford & Wrekin Council will apply to take over parking enforcement in January, saying police often "don't have the resources" to tackle illegal parking.
The council's cabinet is set to apply to the Department for Transport for permission to take on illegal parking enforcement powers in the borough from West Mercia Police.
The cabinet will also approve setting up a five-person team of neighbourhood enforcement officers, with powers to tackle parking issues, environmental crime and anti-social behaviour.
Councillor Richard Overton, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for enforcement, said: “Earlier this year we carried out a consultation that more than a thousand people took part in. The results of that survey showed the main issues to be bad parking around schools and on pavements.
“This will not be about making money or issuing fines. We don’t want to use an external company who are only interested in issuing tickets.
“We want to keep it in house with our own neighbourhood enforcement officers, who will apply an ‘education first’ approach with enforcement as a last resort. We will not be a council chasing an income target as can be seen in other parts of the country.
“Our officers would not be given targets to meet. This would be all about making sure people don’t park where they shouldn’t. We will ensure that our free car parks will remain free of charge but also that they are used properly.
“This is made possible by the £200,000 of funding from the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner agreed with the council’s leader to cover the first four years of the scheme."
