Issue - meetings

This report considers options open to the council in respect of the recovery of parking and traffic Penalty Charge Notice debt.

(i)         Authorises the extension of the contracts of two of the four incumbent Civil Enforcement Agents by one year, noting the rationale for doing so set out in the background to this report;

(ii)        Delegates authority to the Strategic Director, Regeneration and Environment, in consultation with the Lead Member for Environment, to select which two Civil Enforcement Agent providers should have their contracts extended and varied;

(iii)       Delegates authority to the Strategic Director, Regeneration and Environment to decide whether to extend the contracts of the two successful Agents by an additional year in 2017, aligning the contracts with the council’s main Parking Management and Enforcement Contract as explained in 3.20;

(iv)       Endorses the method proposed for selecting which two of the four existing contracts to extend, as set out in paragraph 3.21;

(v)        Agrees to the proposed variation of the contracts with two Civil Enforcement Agents to include the matters detailed in paragraphs 3.19 to 3.24; and

(vi)       Agrees to the implementation of a new process and dedicated resource for the early write-off of unrecoverable debt following a determination of the likelihood of collection, as set out in paragraphs 3.13 and 3.29.

Councillor Southwood, Cabinet Member for Environment, introduced the report stating that it asked members to consider options open to the council in respect of the recovery of parking and traffic Penalty Charge Notice debt.

She stated that the Council currently had contracts with four Civil Enforcement Agents (formerly known as certificated bailiffs), which all would expire on 30 June 2016.

Councillor Southwood stated that Cabinet was recommended to extend the contracts of two of the four existing contractors by one year, following a competitive process, and to delegate to officers the subsequent decision on a further one year extension. This would provide the council with sufficient flexibility to consider the potential for a consolidated approach to debt recovery.

RESOLVED:

(i)         that approval be given to the extension of the contracts of two of the four incumbent Civil Enforcement Agents by one year, noting the rationale for doing so set out in the background to the report from the Strategic Director, Regeneration and Environment;

(ii)        that authority be delegated to the Strategic Director, Regeneration and Environment, in consultation with the Lead Member for Environment, to select which two Civil Enforcement Agent providers should have their contracts extended and varied;

(iii)       that authority be delegated to the Strategic Director, Regeneration and Environment to decide whether to extend the contracts of the two successful Agents by an additional year in 2017, aligning the contracts with the council’s main Parking Management and Enforcement Contract as explained in 3.20 of the Director’s report;

(iv)       that the method proposed for selecting which two of the four existing contracts to extend, as set out in paragraph 3.21 of the report be endorsed;

(v)        that agreement be given to the proposed variation of the contracts with two Civil Enforcement Agents to include the matters detailed in paragraphs 3.19 to 3.24 of the Director’s report;

(vi)       that agreement be given to the implementation of a new process and dedicated resource for the early write-off of unrecoverable debt following a determination of the likelihood of collection, as set out in paragraphs 3.13 and 3.29 of the Director’s report.