A consultation document sent to local authorities by the Department for Transport has warned that wheel clamping could lose public support for parking enforcement.
The draft operational guidance, entitled Better parking – keeping traffic moving, says transport minister, Ruth Kelly, strongly discourages the use of wheel clamping and stresses that it should only be used for those who repeatedly break parking rules, and that parking enforcement should be used to achieve positive transport goals – not to raise revenue.
Where clamping is used, and where vehicles are removed, the consultation says it is important that clampers are fully trained in legal requirements, aware of public relations and the need to ensure the owners of vehicles are advised of their right to make representations and appeals.
‘It is important that the guidelines can command public support by making the level of enforcement proportional to the seriousness of the contravention,’ it says.
‘Wheel-clamping may be brought into disrepute if a local authority permits it for what the public may regard as relatively-unimportant contraventions. ‘For less serious contraventions, local authorities should consider whether wheel-clamping should only be undertaken in certain cases.’
London Councils director of transport, Nick Lester, said: ‘As the Department for Transport admits, most of these recommendations are based on the experience and best practice found in London’s local authorities. The capital’s boroughs are at the sharp end of street management, and they are uniquely placed to lead the rest of the country.
‘It is important all enforcement is fair – but at the same time, it must be effective if local authorities are to meet their important responsibilities in managing the operations of their road network well.’
Cllr David Sparks, chairman of the Local Government Association’s transport and regeneration board, said: ‘Many councils have already adopted a persistent offender-only approach and cannot use parking as a revenue raising exercise.’
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