A minimum of 50 traffic wardens “focused in the neighbourhoods” is how Liverpool Council hopes to begin tackle its long-standing parking issues.
A comprehensive report by the local authority’s task and finish group on parking made nine recommendations on how the city can improve its services and “tackle the abuse” of regulations in many areas. Among these are an “urgent” need for traffic wardens in Liverpool and Cllr Abdul Qadir, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, has outlined how he wants to see the issue dealt with.
Addressing the report, drafted by former cabinet member, Cllr Laura Robertson-Collins, Cllr Qadir told a neighbourhoods committee meeting that the council currently has 49 officers in operation, predominantly operating in the city centre. There are 23 vacancies within the service and Cllr Qadir said a minimum of 50 wardens was needed.
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He added that the service is data-led and urged people to get in touch so the council was better able to distribute enforcement agents. Cllr Qadir said he wanted to see them “focused in the neighbourhoods” to clamp down on issues outside of the city centre.
Claire McColgan, interim director of neighbourhoods, said any finances for new traffic wardens “must be robust” in its case. Discussing the report, Cllr Robertson-Collins said her recommendations were “deliberately concise” and had been fiscally balanced to take into account the council’s financial situation.
In recommending the council adopt the suggestions, the Greenbank Labour councillor said it needed to move “quite quickly” and if it did not resolve issues in areas like the controlled parking zone, the council was essentially using public money to subsidise the night time economy. Green Party group leader, Cllr Tom Crone, added: “We all want to use the carrot, like better buses, but maybe a little bit of stick might work.”
Multiple ownership of vehicles was causing problems in Cllr Ruth Bennett’s ward, as she told the committee how “people parking their third or even fourth car” on the roads adds to journey times and dissuades people from using public transport. Liberal Democrat Cllr Richard Clein, backed the call for more enforcement and said he had taken the “extreme option” of blocking kerb parkers by placing planters down.
He added that it won't be long "until someone dies" because an emergency vehicle can't get through because of "problem parkers". Committee chair Cllr Joe Hanson conceded that the issue of parking is something that the council has "failed to tackle".
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