Decision details

The Director of Operation Delivery submitted an exempt report to consider the Council’s car parks in the context of their town centre role and options for service improvement.

In introducing the report, the Deputy Leader updated Executive on the comments from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee who had considered the report at their meeting of 1 September 2016. The Committee had endorsed the report and recommended to Executive that consideration be given as part of the proposed procurement process for improved and more flexible disabled parking provision in council car parks following an assessment of demand for such parking.

Resolved

(1)          That the review assessment and conclusions of the Council’s car parking service be noted.

(2)          That it be agreed not to commit to a long term lease or other arrangement which reduces the Council’s regeneration and investment flexibility.

(3)          That a procurement exercise to appoint a specialist operator to deliver the Council’s car parking services be supported.

(4)          That the invitation of tenders for a services concession contract which incentivises the operator to maximise revenue over the maximum concession period available under The Concession Contracts Regulations 2016 (five years, or such longer period as the contractor would reasonably need to recoup any investment made by it to deliver the services (together with any return on its investment) be authorised.

(5)          That agreement be given to any such competitive tender contest incorporating a competitive dialogue process to maximise value to the Council.

(6)          That the opportunity through this process for a different charging regime which supports a balance of maximising income from car park assets with the wider economic growth and planning policy objectives of the Council to create attractive, sustainable and viable urban centres be considered further.

(7)          That this process be used as the opportunity to ensure consistency of charging between Bicester and Banbury.

(8)          That a requirement for bidders to price the introduction of modern revenue collection and parking control equipment which combines flexibility of payment options combined with technology based opportunities to vary their parking stay for customers be included in the tender process.

(9)          That, notwithstanding resolution (8) above, the opportunity for the Council to achieve improved value for money from this process by using its own capital resources to fund the required capital investment be explored.

(10)       That consideration be given as part of the proposed procurement process for improved and more flexible disabled parking provision in council car parks following an assessment of demand for such parking.

Reasons

Car parking services are central to the experience of most visitors to our urban centres and therefore the views of users and businesses are paramount. The customer experience is crucial to generate satisfaction and income, ensuring that repeat visits ensue whereby additional time and money is spent in the urban centres. The resultant vitality of businesses will increasingly mean that additional business rates will be collected by the Council to continue a virtuous cycle of thriving communities.

Regardless of charging, customers typically require conveniently located car parks that are safe and clean. Information and support should be on hand if issues arise. The Council’s car parking service has remained largely unchanged for many years. It uses old pay and display technology and whilst the car parks are conveniently located for users of urban centres, the service requires improving and modernising.

Soft market testing has resulted in an encouraging level of interest in the service from external operators. It is proposed therefore to undertake a competitive procurement process using competitive dialogue to appoint a specialist to run and modernise the service.

Alternative options

The procurement and technology options are outlined in the report. The only other alternative to this approach is to retain the service in house. This is not proposed as it is expected that the Council will achieve better value from an external operator.