Purpose

The report seeks approval to progress with the Parking Review under the Terms of Reference and Scope. Parking is one of the most visible and widely used services delivered by the Council. It plays a critical role in supporting safe, accessible and efficient streets, enabling access to homes, services, and businesses, and facilitating the effective operation of the smooth running of the transport network.

The proposed review will provide a comprehensive assessment of parking across the borough. It will consider how current arrangements operate in practice and identify opportunities to ensure that the service is fair, transparent and meets the needs of residents, businesses and visitors. Engagement with residents, businesses and stakeholders will be central to shaping its outcomes.

This work represents an opportunity to ensure that parking in Newham remains fit for purpose, supports wider Council priorities and responds effectively to changing needs across the borough reinforcing that parking operations is primarily for road safety, access, and road network efficiency. 

Decision

For the reasons set out in this report and its appendices, Cabinet RESOLVED to Agree

i)  To approve the Terms of Reference and Scope of the Parking and Kerbside Space Review as documented in Appendix 1 and authorise commencement of the Review;

ii)  To approve the out-of-scope items to be delivered as part of separate policy or procedural reviews listed in Appendix 1;

iii)  To grant delegated authority to the Corporate Director of Environment and Sustainable Transport, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Environment to consider and approve updates to out-of-scope items specifically listed within Appendix 1 when reviewed, following all applicable governance processes subject to the level of change that may or may not be required from review outcomes. 

iv)  To grant delegated authority to the Corporate Director of Environment and Sustainable Transport, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Environment to consider the recommendations that have been listed as deferred for further consideration to include and adjust as required within the Parking and Kerbside Space Review.

v)  Interim reports post-data gathering and engagement to be received by Cabinet.

vi)  To approve Cabinet responses to Overview and Scrutiny Committee pre-decision scrutiny recommendations from meeting held 6 July 2026 detailed in Appendix 2.

Alternatives Considered

1)  An alternative option considered is to maintain the existing parking practices and operational arrangements without undertaking a comprehensive review.

This option has been discounted as it would not adequately respond to the significant changes affecting the borough now or the likely upcoming changes including population growth, evolving travel patterns, continued residential and commercial development in the borough, and increasing pressure on kerbside space.

2)  A “do nothing” approach would risk reducing the effectiveness of parking controls now and in the future, leading to further increased pressure on residential areas and town centres creating greater risk in relation to road safety, access restrictions, and road network efficiency. It would also limit the Council’s ability to review fairness, consistency and customer experience within the service.

Furthermore, without a structured review, there would be a risk that parking practices and operations become misaligned with wider Council priorities.

3)  A second alternative option which has been considered is for a far wider review to take place that incorporates all of the out-of-scope items listed in Appendix 1.

This option has been discounted as it would bring external matters around parking policies and operations that may not include the actual parking operations service into scope.

Whilst reviews of the out-of-scope items should take place, these can be undertaken as separate, more intricate reviews into the processes of those items that require more careful individual considerations that would not necessarily affect parking operational practices.

The inclusion of the out-of-scope items would also extend the time of the review considerably and may make any realistic actions arising from the Parking and Kerbside Space Review difficult to achieve within a reasonable period where changes in 6.1.1 may have outpaced the larger review.

Given these considerations, undertaking a review as outlined within Appendix 1 is the recommended option to progress with.