Herefordshire Council defends car park income

7:00am Wednesday 23rd January 2013 in News

HEREFORDSHIRE Council has defended the money it makes from car parking after a road safety charity questioned the profits being made by local authorities.

The council made £1,449,000 from car parking in the past year (2011/12), an increase from £467,000 in 2010/11.

The figures were released by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) in a report which questions the profits being made by local authorities throughout England at a time when, it claims, spending on road safety has been cut.

According to the IAM report, Herefordshire Council’s car parking revenue had increased by £980,000 in 12 months.

But Shane Hancock, community protection manager at Herefordshire Council, said the figures must be seen in context.

“Only £243,000 of this amount is accounted for by additional car parking charges,” said Mr Hancock.

“The remainder includes some increased income from penalty charge notices and most importantly capital costs.

“The £243,000 for parking was a result of the council increasing car parking fees across the county in November 2011, the first increase for three years.”

The capital costs referred to by Mr Hancock include maintenance, security and lighting – as well as the council’s recent “revaluation” of car parks to determine how much revenue they can make and how much investment they require.

Comments(26)

Ubique5740 says...
7:18am Wed 23 Jan 13

If the Council are defending car park income themselves I propose that Bobby47 is appointed the Prosecutor .
It was probably caused by the removal of the annual £10 ( 2 hour ) Parking Disc for the elderly.

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fmrbill says...
9:06am Wed 23 Jan 13

Let's be blunt the increases are to fund mr Hancocks gravy train inflated wage and no doubt gold plated index linked pension fund. Don't try fool kid us we ain't stupid

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silentbull says...
10:14am Wed 23 Jan 13

'HERE WE CAN'
and no matter what the public says
'YOU CANT STOP US'

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Herefordian07 says...
11:23am Wed 23 Jan 13

What the council acheive here is to punish the workers who still have jobs in Hereford by charging extra to park - also they make shopping in Hereford a little more expensive for shoppers trying to give revenue to struggling Hereford businesses, is everyone in the council so blinkered to the frailty of the economy, heaven only knows but it seems that council officials either have to be failed business men or have never run a business, perhaps the closest any of them get to running a city is "Monopoly"

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B the B says...
12:29pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Increased penalty charges, thats why the council employed Mr Hancock then, a retired early Police office. Jobs for the boys.

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bobby47 says...
2:04pm Wed 23 Jan 13

It's so bloody hard to say anything without descending into a diatribe of disgust fuelled heckling and rants of disbelief that this is actually going on, we have to put up with it and worse being told, that it really is all ok and your moaning about nothing.
It's almost as though we are being told that this is a bloody good deal for us who are paying for this distorted economic ideology.
These are the economics of the short sighted and self interested few who we pay to feed upon our rotting corpses and demand that we fund there lifestyle.
It really is crazy and I know, some will say including me that Im as mad as a ships cat but bloody hell, these sums of money are eye watering and it makes you want to hurl phlegm.
Quite how this Council can justify this feeding upon our dwindling wealth is beyond me and frankly, they should hang their heads in shame.
Im done moaning! I gotta get some bloody help.
Id jump of Garrick bloody house but they've knocked most of it down thus denying me the opportunity to end this misery that is called living in Hereford.

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littlewhitebull says...
6:52pm Wed 23 Jan 13

It's believed that the body of King Richard III is buried under a council car park in Leicester. If he had been buried in a council car park in Hereford, the council would be seeking his last known address in order to send the outstanding charges, fines, etc. This posting is quite daft, I accept that. However, such a stupid idea would not be beyond the bounds of possibility with our council.

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WYSIATI says...
7:13pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Here's a couple of other ways of looking at it.

The "profit" made on car parking is actually a contribution to overall revenue of the council and gets used on things like fixing the roads - if you want the roads fixed (and all the other services) the money has to come from somewhere.

If prices were fixed for three years when inflation was 3-5% that's quite a cut in real terms - as it is when the salaries have been fixed for several years for many public sector employees (and it impacts on the pensions that they will get too).

I have no idea if there are problems with the parking regulations - time limits, yellow lines and all - but am I right in thinking that anyone who obeys the rules doesn't pay the penalty charges?

As a fraction of the total budget (providing the services we have collectively voted for one way or another over the years) if parking brings in £1.4M out of £367M it's not much - annoying yes but a small part of the whole.

I personally find it a lot easier to park in Hereford than most of the cities I go to (and cheaper).

If we demand the services (and they've all been put in place under democratically elected Govts and Councils as far as I know) then we have to pay for them. Let's have a debate and work out if we want the services, which ones to stop, how to make things more efficient and then where to raise the money - though that is a lot less fun than poking fun and calling everyone a fat cat I have to admit.

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fmrbill says...
9:47pm Wed 23 Jan 13

That's the prob Wystai the rds rnt repaired, money goes on new county signs. We don't know if this Mr Hancock alleged ex police retired or left if he got his pension what rank he was if he left on a pension at tax payers expenses then low and behold straight into another public paid managers job at let us say 35k plus police pension this job surely could be done in private sector ??? I'm sure somebody will correct me if I'm wrong. How many other rtd police on nice pensions sidelined themselves into another ppublic sector job when they rtd and in 15 yrs time will get another index linked public pension. That's the bloody scandel and YES greed. Tell me one job in council private sector couldn't do. !!!. Wish some of these rtd bloody police would come do some sheep shearing for me get their hands dirty and do something for society they didn't do when behind a desk in the police

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WYSIATI says...
11:02pm Wed 23 Jan 13

fmrbill - that is the problem - the roads aren't being repaired as fast as we would want. But I don't know if that's because there's no money left (true) or because the contract with the private sector company that I think does the job is no good or for any of a heap of other reasons. I suspect it would not be helped by removing a source of income for the council.

As for whether there's anything that the private sector couldn't do - that's not the question - the private sector does many things, some well, some badly, rarely for nothing, often for a good deal more than they should be done for and it certainly pays the people at the top far more generously than the public sector and the people who do the work far less well.

Trouble is that as all the money goes to the people owning and running companies the workers get less and less - and then they need to be supported by tax credits, can't spend the money to keep the place ticking over and have no pensions (the private sector ditched decent pensions years ago and shafted a generation). And when the workers have no money and instead of paying tax they cost tax payers money the whole thing starts to fall apart and people are set against each other.

As for police retiring early and taking another job - if we want to change the pension conditions by all means do and I think you have a point that the police one might need to be looked at (surely there are non-front line jobs that police could move to when they are too old to do the frontline stuff?). But if the man has earned his contractually agreed pension and has not breached the conditions of that and he pays his tax while working another job - what is wrong with that?

He'll pay his tax, spend some money, and he won't be out making mischief or blogging for the sake of nothing better to do.

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fmrbill says...
11:41pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Well wystai I note ure comments but might I make 3 comments. 1 ) I wish I earnt enough farming to pay 2 loads of tax or even I lot 2) I hope ure not insinuating I'm making mischief by saying my point of view 3) I can assure u I have got better things to do than blog on here but I feel strongly about this. Perhaps u would like to come out now at this time of night as it is now -3 and help me with lambing or are u warmly asleep in bed. One thing is sure I won't starve when food gets dearer / scarce maybe like u. Perhaps this king bobby 47 mighty throw u some of his rancid food of his barrow he mentioned sometime ago IF he felt u were worth it ??

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WYSIATI says...
6:28am Thu 24 Jan 13

fmrbill - nothing personal at all and no not suggesting you are making mischief - was only making the point that the devil makes work for idle hands - we are usually glad to see someone working rather than not.

I wish you luck with the lambing.

There's a big discussion to be had about farming and how that's paid for. The system of taxpayer subsidy can be criticised for many reasons.

Not so easy to balance up all the competing issues there - with food prices rising and genuine hardship because of it and the CAP being one of the biggest drains on the beloved EC. I don't know the answer.

I hope the weather gets better for you and you don't get hit with Schmallenberg

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Themightyboosh says...
6:33am Thu 24 Jan 13

i really would not mind paying a little more to fill the coffers if i knew it was being spent well on front line services.
but as it is all i see time after time after time is them wasting vast sums on useless ideas and due to bad business skills.

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bobby47 says...
10:31am Thu 24 Jan 13

Once again my dear friend Wysiati has produced a well crafted piece that is full of reason, general goodwill and restraint while addressing this thread of news.
On the other hand my comrade fmrbill questions the whole thing and is forthright in his view that this money is being used to fuel the ever increasing gravey train that exists to reward those that are living the life of bloody Riley.
Me? Im with fmrbill on this and quite frankly, I'll stay with fmrbill until he stops producing the stuff we want, need and pine for. Bloody food!
As for my good friend Wysiati suggesting that some on here blog because they've nothing better to do.
Well that's bloody me. I do it because I've nothing better to do.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind, what's left of it, that I've got nothing better to do but I do not do it simply to make mischief. I do this because I have an unhealthy need to see this Council Leadership gone.

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fordshire77 says...
10:35am Thu 24 Jan 13

Two words......CHOO CHOO

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mizza21 says...
3:28pm Thu 24 Jan 13

I have nothing better to do than post this mischeivous missive ...
What do they mean by Capital costs?
It seems to be the major part of the 980 grand.
How on Earth do you raise what looks like over 700K from Capital costs of car parks?
Sounds like saucy accounting to me and not actual revenue at all.

Are Lambs a capital cost fmrbill?

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bobby47 says...
5:36pm Thu 24 Jan 13

Mizza, Yes my dear prodigy it's a knotty conundrum isn't it. What do they mean by Capitol Costs?
Ive no bloody idea and I suspect we'll have to wait until Megilleland, TWG or Wysiati come on and translate this bewildering phrase to us the howling screaming mob.
Im guessing when I say it's probably staff salaries, pension contributions, consultancy charges and payments to this, that and the bloody other.

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WYSIATI says...
10:42pm Thu 24 Jan 13

Bobby, Mizza - 'fraid I've no idea what they mean by capital money in the context of car park income. Maybe they are selling car parking spaces to the highest bidders - you push the button for 1 hr 2hr or if you pay enough you get to keep the space?

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Ubique5740 says...
7:30am Fri 25 Jan 13

The quote from the article states "The capital costs referred to by Mr Hancock include maintenance, security and lighting "
All I can think is that HCC have reduced maintenance,security and lighting and therefore "saved"money.
Other than that I am with you- I haven't a clue - my working life did not involve "capital costs" Well it did but in a different format !

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TwoWheelsGood says...
8:39am Fri 25 Jan 13

"The capital costs referred to by Mr Hancock include maintenance, security and lighting – as well as the council’s recent “revaluation” of car parks to determine how much revenue they can make and how much investment they require". This does not make sense. A capital cost isn't income - it’s the opposite. Maintenance and security are not capital costs. What they're trying not to say is the 'revaluation' was done to see just how much money they could squeeze out of the hapless tax payer - quite a lot it seems.

As an aside, in what way is Mr Hancock managing protection of my community? His job title is typically nonsense council-speak. A car park manager is just that, nothing more.

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bobby47 says...
11:58am Fri 25 Jan 13

TWG, Thanks for explaining it mate.
As an aside, I sat here T'other day thinking about this job title and I couldn't get my head round it.
Community Protection Manager! At what point in bloody time did the Council start to give oneanother grandiose job titles that simply baffle the reader and only serve to inflate the importance of a role within the Council.
You'd expect the Community Protection Manager to be a fearsome figure armed to the bloody teeth with weapons to protect the public if some fool kicked off in the Car Park when the machine wouldn't accept his or her fifty bloody pence.
I'd like us to return to a place where you could phone up the Council and say,'I want to speak to the Car Park man' and after listening to Handels Messiah and the Halleluzah Chorus for twenty minutes waiting for some fool to pick up the bloody phone the voice said, 'Hello. Im the bloody Car Park man. Can I help you'.
Weve gotta rid ourselves of this culture where each and everyone employed by the Council is given a simple and precise job title. The Toilet Cleaner. The man who waters the bloody hanging baskets.

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silentbull says...
1:53pm Sun 27 Jan 13

Can i just say that i hope the council starts cracking down on people that park on pavements and even leave there holiday caravans outside their houses on the side ofthe road which is what is happening around where i live

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Ubique5740 says...
2:07pm Sun 27 Jan 13

As I sit here on Sunday afternoon after a super Sunday lunch with a very nice, but cheap (Aldi) bottle of red (Shared) I must say to silentbull that my answer to his problem is never will HCC do that, there's no money for them.
If cars are blocking the footpath perhaps the Police can help. Don't laugh - tell them that people passing have to walk in the road - of course there are other options which will get a fast response but I will leave that to you to work out !

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silentbull says...
3:30pm Sun 27 Jan 13

Ubique5740 wrote:
As I sit here on Sunday afternoon after a super Sunday lunch with a very nice, but cheap (Aldi) bottle of red (Shared) I must say to silentbull that my answer to his problem is never will HCC do that, there's no money for them.
If cars are blocking the footpath perhaps the Police can help. Don't laugh - tell them that people passing have to walk in the road - of course there are other options which will get a fast response but I will leave that to you to work out !
Thank you, but what about caravans??
And to say there's no money in it i should think they is as you find plenty of cars parked on pavements (Hereford Leominster Ledbury Bromyard and even Ross on Wye) and all they need to do is fine them(loads of money)

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silentbull says...
3:42pm Sun 27 Jan 13

....oh and i forgot to say, there's been a rise in 'parking on pavements' in the past few months which seems (surprisingly ?) the same time the council started to charge/raise parking fees

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Ubique5740 says...
3:50pm Sun 27 Jan 13

Silentbull , I am writing about something I do not know much about,
1. Not sure when a vehicle / trailer / caravan requires lights while parked on the road .
2. If the caravan is parked on the pavement, even partly on the pavement it must commit an offence of obstruction.
3. The Council may help if they need to sweep the road.
My suggestion is to speak to your local police officer. My advice is to make sure you are speaking to a police officer and not a PSCO. ( I am not being disrespectful to the PSCO - but when it comes to the law a Police Officer will know best ).
The best of luck, it's a pity that you have neighbours who have no respect for others.

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