Decision

Summary of Decision
The Cabinet Member for City
Management and Air Quality has approved the introduction of
“End-User” charging for future Cashless Parking
contracts, as well as the setting of a cap of 30p on End-User
charges per transaction with an Officer-led contract mechanism for
reviewing and approving any increases in that cap over time to
allow for effective contract management and good
service-delivery.
 
Reasons for Decision
Currently the City Council absorbs the electronic
payment’s transactional charge for those paying to park on
street. However, the market has for some time been moving toward
charging the customer (the “end user”) rather than the
Local Authority. Officers strongly believe that the City Council
must move to this model in future Cashless contracts This model
will improve the competitive nature of the procurement while
offering potential for greater choice for our customers.
 
The
City Council’s policies are to encourage the use of active
travel and public transport when moving about the City. These
policies support greater health and wellbeing through increased
activity and reduced pollution and greenhouse gases. While the
additional transactional costs as a percentage of the average spend
is not considered likely to change behaviour it is not fair to
expect residents impacted by the pollution and poor air quality to
fund a service dedicated to a type of transport use that the City
Council wants to discourage.