TRAFFIC enforcement in the Staffordshire Moorlands is to be outsourced to a private company after the district council admitted it has struggled to effectively deploy Civil Enforcement Officers.
The current civil parking enforcement service is operating below budgetary expectations in terms of the quantity of tickets issued and the level of income received.
The total number of Parking Charge Notices issued in the district since Staffordshire Moorlands District Council assumed responsibility was 1,936. The predicted number was 2,700.
A council spokesman said the current arrangement had been running at a loss since it was started. There are supposed to six officers handing out tickets at any one time, but this number rarely gets higher than four.
A problem in recruiting and retaining officers has been a major factor in the latest decision and the council has said that outsourcing would allow it to utilise the larger pool of officers employed by the private company.
The council hopes that the new enforcement officers will carry out other functions, including environmental roles, clamping, removal of vehicles, reporting problems with street signs and lines, and collection of cash from pay-and-display machines.
Stephen Ellis, the district council’s portfolio holder for planning, development and property, said: “The company in question will improve service levels by devoting far more resources to enforcement than we ever could and we will get significant economies of scale by joining with other councils that are already managing an outsourced service.”
The Cheadle West councillor said the scope of the outsourcing had yet to be finalised.
He said: “Cash collection and the maintenance of pay-and-display machines may or may not be included. Nevertheless, the intention of the outsourcing is to secure a cost-neutral transfer of operational responsibilities.
“The main aim of externalising the service is to ensure that every penny of revenue budget is spent on enforcement of the countywide Clear Streets policy. If the service were retained in house, this wouldn’t be possible.”
Subject to legal advice on procurement rules, the council will sign up to one of two existing agreements between local authorities that have already outsourced their on and off-street parking enforcement to a company which, according to the district council, could not be named until details were finalised.
Staffordshire Moorlands will face a choice between joining forces with four Staffordshire districts or all the districts in Derbyshire.
The contracted-out service could start as early as July this year and run for four or five years, followed by a possible two-year extension should the partnership be successful.
Employees of the existing enforcement service would be transferred to the contractor with their pay, pension entitlements and conditions of service protected.
If neither the Staffordshire nor Derbyshire authorities wish Staffordshire Moorlands to join their existing agreements, the district council will still look to outsource the service but through a separate procurement process.