Local authorities in Staffordshire have reported a loss of revenue from parking charge notices, after taking over enforcement from police.
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and East Staffordshire Borough Council both cited difficulties in recruiting civil enforcement officers (CEOs) as the reason for a fall in the number of fines issued.
A report to the joint Staffordshire parking board also heard there had been problems processing unpaid fines through the county court, which significantly affected all local authorities in the county.
Staffordshire Moorlands reported that ‘staff retention problems’ had led to a relatively-low number of PCNs being issued, compared with forecasts. The council said it was addressing this issue by taking on an enforcement officer from another authority to tackle the problem in the short term, while it was in advanced stages of considering outsourcing the service.
The council’s civil parking enforcement (CPE) budget predicts that it will break even, which is a significant shortfall compared with initial projections.
East Staffordshire said it was in the process of ‘overcoming’ staffing problems, which had also led to a decline in the number of PCNs issued in the borough. The council reported a total of 14,000 PCNs issued throughout the past year, with a cancellation rate of 18 to 19%.
However, the borough’s CPE budget reported an improved position, which had been achieved by bringing on-street charges in line with off-street car park charges. It did concede that PCN income was less than anticipated, and the offset was achieved due to a reduction in costs, as less CEOs had been deployed.
In contrast, Stafford Borough Council exceeded predictions by issuing 13,000 PCNs. The council’s revised budget forecast a small surplus, but this was reliant on the introduction of on-street charging in the borough.
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