Annual Parking Report 2021 to 2022

This Annual Car Parking report summarises the parking and traffic enforcement activities conducted by the Council during the financial year 2021 to 2022. The Council continues to operate parking enforcement under the Traffic Management Act 2004, ensuring parking services operates to support businesses, shoppers, residents and visitors to the Borough in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

Parking facilities are vital for people coming to Stockton to work, study, visit and support economic growth. Parking controls assist in making our roads safe, minimising congestion and ensuring free-flowing traffic conditions without impacting on sustainable travel choices. All of which encourage people to visit Stockton more regularly whilst balancing the needs of businesses, residents, visitors and blue badge holders post the Covid pandemic.
The visible presence of Civic Enforcement Officers (CEO's) is the primary means of achieving compliance with parking regulations. This report provides an overview of what, why and how parking services are undertaken in Stockton.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our town centre and high street parking with Government guidance to work from home and many businesses closed. This has still impacted during the last financial year with changed behaviour and trips into the town centres reducing.

Through Tees Valley Combined Authority funding, 3 hours free parking was introduced in short stay car parks in Stockton and Yarm in January 2021 and is due to end January 2023. This is to make it easier, cheaper and more convenient for people to support their town centres and high streets.

If you have any questions or comments about the Annual Report or the Car Parking service in general please let us know by contacting us at carparking@stockton.gov.uk or visit our Car parking webpage.

Councillor Mike Smith

Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport

The Borough of Stockton-on-Tees is a Unitary Authority with a population of approximately 196,000. Within the Borough there are 6 town centres; Stockton, Billingham, Thornaby, Yarm, Norton and Ingleby Barwick.

Stockton town centre is located on the north bank of the River Tees. At the heart of the high street, known to be one of the widest in the UK, is the historic Town Hall, which dates from 1735. The high street also incorporates an outdoor market every Wednesday and Saturday that has been in existence since the 1300s. Stockton High Street is historically known for being the first area to operate a railway system and it is something which we take great pride in. We have a feature within the town centre which shows our passion for this known as the Stockton Flyer. View how the Stockton Flyer works.

The Stockton Flyer attracts visitors to the high street every day to watch its operation, a daily reminder of the railway heritage, with sound effects that can be heard throughout the town centre.

Stockton-on-Tees prides itself on its event culture and continues to deliver an action-packed calendar of events across the Borough throughout the year. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic many events were unable to take place in 2020 to 2021, with a return to some events in 2021.

View our video which demonstrates the type of events we hold.

In February 2019, we saw the opening of the Hampton by Hilton Hotel, which overlooks the Northshore Riverside. Giving you views of the River Tees from your room and just a stone throw away from the high street.

In 2021 the Globe Theatre opened its doors following a multi-million pound restoration. It now hosts some of the biggest names in music, theatre and comedy, attracting visitors from across the North East. The building first opened in the 1930s, and a lot of the original structure has been retained during the restoration making it a very interesting building. Further development is planned for Stockton Town Centre including the demolition of the Castlegate Centre, connecting the high street to the riverfront.

Billingham Town Centre, located in the north of the Borough provides the town with national retail chains, including the oldest continuously trading Asda supermarket in the UK. It is home to one of the biggest leisure centres in the North East, The Forum, that provides facilities for swimming, ice skating, gymnasium, indoor activities as well as a popular theatre.

Thornaby Town Centre is dominated by the Pavilion Shopping Centre, providing an extensive range of national and local retailers, restaurants and leisure centres. Similar to The Forum in Billingham, the Pavilion offers similar activities, such as sports hall, gym and squash courts that can be used with an ACTIV8 membership. Thornaby has also received Towns Fund from the Government that will see some additional operations in the future.

Yarm Town Centre is located in the south of the Borough and is one of the more affluent areas of the Borough. The high street is bordered by the River Tees with many Georgian style buildings fronting onto the cobbled parking area providing a mix of shops and restaurants. Yarm is an attraction for people across the North East due to its vibrant and quirky coffee shops. Free parking is offered for the first hour in Yarm for shorter visits to the town and to help increase the availability of spaces for visitors.

Parking Enforcement is carried out by Civic Enforcement Officers (CEO). We have 20 officers in total, all of which have attended and passed the WAMITAB Level 2 Award for Parking Enforcement Officers and are able to serve Penalty Charge Notices (PCN). Parking Enforcement is one part of their role in addition to carrying out duties involving anti-social behaviour, some criminal traffic offences contrary to the Road Traffic Act, the Traffic management Act 2004 and environmental crime.

Officers have the powers to be able to take action against those who are parking in contravention. Such as double yellow line parking, and they can also take action against vehicles which are parking in a dangerous or obstructive manner or considered to be abandoned contrary to the Highways Act 1980.

Electric vehicles are rapidly increasing on a yearly basis and it is important that we have the appropriate infrastructure in place to facilitate this growing demand.

Stockton is fortunate to offer a number of electric charging points ranging from the standard 3kw to the rapid 50kw chargers which can provide a full charge within 30 minutes. In addition the Council continues to work with Tees Valley Combined Authority to look at upgrading stock and increasing the number of charge points across the Borough.

Car parking locations and available spaces can be found on our find a car park webpage.

Following the Covid Pandemic and to kickstart economic growth, the Council introduced free 3 hour parking in short stay car parks across the Borough, a Tees Valley wide initiative funded by the Tees Valley Combined Authority. This funding is in place for two years and is proposed to cease in February 2023. Tickets are still required to be obtained from a ticket machine.

All pay and display car parks in Stockton have the option of paying by RingGo. This is a cashless method of paying for parking via a mobile phone; it does incur a minimal additional convenience charge. .

The use of car parks for sleeping, camping or cooking is not permitted and such facilities are available at the privately operated White Water Caravan Club and Drovers Way Holiday Caravan Park.

Stockton Town Centre

There are currently 19 off-street car parks and 14 on-street car parking places in Stockton Town Centre which are all pay and display. Overall there are 1215 parking spaces to be managed (1017 off-street and 198 on-street).

The current free tariff for 3 hours parking is aimed to encourage short-stay parking within the town centre. Maximum length of stay restrictions are generally structured to promote short-stay parking, and frequent turnover of spaces within the town centre. Long stay car parking is located on the periphery of the town centre utilised predominantly by commuters.

There are also limited waiting bays located on street around the town centre that provide 2 hours free parking that can be found in Dovecot Street and Skinner Street areas, Lawson Street, Farrer Street and Riverside.

There are also two multi-storey car parks within Stockton Town Centre, Wellington Square and Castlegate, operated on behalf of the Council and a further 3 car parks available to commuters and visitors to Stockton that are managed by other organisations.

Billingham Town Centre

There are six off-street car parks in Billingham Town Centre, all of which are free to park with unlimited duration of stay with the exception of the Aldi car park and the car park between Aldi and B&M which are limited to 1.5 hours. Four of the six off-street car parks are managed by another operator. The two off-street car parks managed by the Council are The Forum and the Community Centre car parks.

Thornaby Town Centre

Parking in Thornaby town centre is privately managed with a 3 hour limit at the Pavilion car park and 2 hours at Asda supermarket. Some limited on-street parking is also available in the vicinity of the Health Centre.

Yarm Town Centre

Yarm is an historic market town, the high street is a Principal road, the A67, and is of high importance for traffic movement. The cobbles of Yarm High Street are public highway providing 306 on street short stay spaces. Parking on the high street is free for 3 hours which is also the maximum stay with 'no return for 3 hours' in operation. A free ticket must still be obtained from the pay and display machine.

In addition, there are 3 Council owned, off street car parks at Castle Dyke Wynd (23 spaces) Yarm Wharf (38 spaces) and The Old Market (16 spaces) that are all predominantly used for long stay parking. All off-street pay and display car parks in Yarm have the option of paying by RingGo. Stockton Council has also secured a site on West Street, Yarm for a 55 space long stay car park which is expected to be opened in 2022.

Residents Permit Parking Zones (RPZs)

Currently within the Borough there are six operational Residents Permit Parking Zones, which are located within Stockton West area, Hardwick Estate area, Trinity Gardens area, Eaglescliffe Station area, Yarm High Street and West Street area.

The Council introduces Residents Permit Parking Zones where there is evidence of residents having difficulty parking in close proximity to their homes due to the use of these areas for prolonged non-resident parking particularly where there is alternative parking provision.

Residents within each zone are entitled to apply for a residents permit in line with the guidance. In addition, residents can also request to purchase a visitor permit if necessary.

The permits allow residents or visitors to park within the specified zone during the hours of operation. Currently there is an annual charge of £10 per resident or visitor permit this contributes towards the cost of administering and enforcing the scheme. Resident Parking Zones have been subject to a Scrutiny Review by the Council's Place Select Committee during 2021 to 2022 and the recommendations are due to be implemented during 2022.

In 2021 to 2022, a total of 788 permits were issued across the zones.

Further information about the council's residents parking schemes can be found on our resident parking permits webpage and our Yarm parking permits webpage.

Season Tickets

Season Tickets are available for purchase which allows parking in the Council's long stay car parks both on and off-street Monday to Saturday in Stockton Town Centre and Yarm. These permits are of particular benefit to those who regularly use the Borough's car parks in these areas, such as commuters. They can be purchased in advance at a cheaper rate than paying on a daily basis.

In 2021 to 2022 a total of 20 were purchased.

View our apply for a season ticket page for more information.

Market Permits

Stockton Town Centre is home to the region's largest outdoor market. In addition, throughout various times of the year there are specialist markets, as well as the 'Stockton Sparkles' Christmas market.

Over the years there has been demand for easy access for market traders to unload their goods and the facility to be able to park close to their stalls has increased. Market Trader Permits are available for traders registered with Stockton Borough Council to park in specially designated areas on market days which allows for easy transport of their goods.

In 2021 to 2022 a total of 0 permits were purchased.

Staff Parking Permits

Staff parking permits for employees of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council are available to be purchased via a salary sacrifice scheme.

In 2021 to 2022 0 were issued.

The Blue Badge Scheme is a national scheme that operates for those registered as disabled to access goods and services, by allowing users to park near their destination.

The blue badge permit is available to eligible disabled people irrespective of whether they are travelling as a driver or a passenger.

In 2021 to 22 5740 blue badges were issued. Most badges are valid for 3 years.

How the Blue Badge scheme is enforced

The Disabled Persons Parking Badges Act 2013 gave powers to Civic Enforcement Officers employed by the Council to inspect and retain a disabled badge if they have reasonable grounds to believe that the badge is:

• counterfeit
• has already been cancelled or reported lost or stolen
• should have been returned to the issuing authority because it had expired
• was being misused (including by someone other than the holder when the genuine holder is not involved in the journey)

Civic Enforcement Officers (CEO's) are actively encouraged to act in an ambassadorial role assisting motorists to find alternative parking opportunities where an opportunity to speak with and seek the cooperation of motorists exist. Officers are encouraged to provide help and assistance including directions to encourage visitors and support local residents and businesses. However, in certain circumstances the controls in place make inappropriate parking an instant contravention such as school entrances and disabled parking areas to ensure that public safety is maintained.

CEO's have powers to issue Penalty Charge Notices (PCN's) for contravention of yellow line parking, loading restrictions, on and off street parking offences, and certain instances of parking across dropped crossings.

Enforcement is evidence led to ensure that it assists with the delivery of the Council's wider objectives. Streets receiving the highest number of visits are those where contraventions have the greatest impact on road safety, and severely affect free-flowing traffic conditions and motorists are most likely to require assistance to find parking opportunities and avoid potential penalties. Another key role is improving road safety, and reducing congestion outside schools.

Enforcement also has additional powers to issue removal notices. There are two principal types of removal notice, these being the 'immediate removal' and the '24-hour removal' which are specifically dependant on the seriousness of the danger or obstruction. There are less commonly used 7 day removal notices for vehicles constituting more of a nuisance opposed to danger or obstruction and a 15 day notice used to serve on landlords in cases of abandonment linked to non-public land.

The aim of Bus lanes is to give priority to buses and in most cases pedal cycles during the prescribed hours of operation. Bus lane enforcement is part of a wide range of measures to improve the reliability and punctuality of public transport, in addition to reducing congestion and harmful emissions. Keeping bus lanes free from other traffic reduces delays and ensures buses move swiftly throughout the Borough.

There are four bus lanes controlled by camera enforcement:

• Stockton High Street
• Norton Road
• Westbury Street
• Mandale Road

0 bus lane Penalty Charge Notices were issued between April 2021 and March 2022 due to a reduction in traffic through the Covid-19 pandemic and enforcement being directed towards more urgent matters such as testing and vaccine sites.

The purpose of a Penalty Charge Notice is to encourage compliance with parking restrictions. The issue of a Penalty Charge Notice should act as a deterrent and hopefully through time re-educate drivers to ensure parking regulations are adhered to. Civic Enforcement Officers will only issue a Penalty Charge Notice where they are convinced from the evidence they have before them that a contravention has occurred.

The Council is committed to give a fair, transparent and consistent approach to dealing with correspondence at all times throughout the appeals process.

The aim of the Council is to respond to all informal challenges within 14 days, and formal representations within the required 56 day timeframe.

For further information on parking policy and enforcement visit our Pay a parking fine webpage or the Patrol UK website.

The table shows the reasons for cancellation of a Penalty Charge Notice following receipt of either an informal challenge or representation. Grounds for challenges and representations can be found on our Pay a parking fine webpage.

There are two levels of charge for parking contraventions, the more serious contraventions such as parking on waiting restrictions are now charged at the higher level of £70 (£35 if paid within 14 days of issue). Less serious contraventions such as overstaying in an off street car park are charged at the lower level of £50 (£25 if paid within 14 days of issue). The table below shows each of those contraventions and how many have been issued during April 2021 to March 2022.

The Council's current collection rate is 68%. 182 of Penalty Charge Notice's were cancelled; therefore around 16% are still being processed at the time of this report.

PCN's paid at discounted rate are included in the overall paid PCN rate.

Higher level on street

Lower level on street

Higher level off street

Lower level off street

Total number of PCN's issued in during 2020 and 2021 is 1170.

Income from on-street parking charges and on and off-street penalty charge notices must be used to meet the cost of the provision and maintenance by the local authority of on and off-street parking accommodation in their area under the Traffic Management Act 2004.

In line with best practice, the Council has operated the parking service including income from off-street charging car parks in Stockton Town Centre on a self-financing basis with a slight operating surplus to contribute to the cost of parking improvements and support for non-commercial bus services. The figures below show the income and expenditure to the Parking account for 2021 to 2022.

Income

Expenditure

Grand total income and expenditure = £189,393

Use of surpluses

Surpluses have been used towards a new long stay car park in Yarm (£50k) and on repairs of pay and display machines and electric vehicle charge points. We also purchased new devices for Enforcement.