Decision

To approve, award and enter into a contract with Videalert trading as Marston Holdings Ltd. for the provision, installation and maintenance of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras.

Reasons for the decision

The contract is for the provision and maintenance of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) equipment to enable the enforcement of the Council’s School Street Pilot.

Some brief background and a definition of “school street” is provided below.

Wiltshire Council has operated a programme of support for the development of school travel plans since 2001, through Officer support with tools, data analysis and advice, and funding through the Taking Action on School Journeys (TAOSJ) initiative. This initiative has provided grants for on-site infrastructure such as cycle storage, and highway changes through engineering measures aimed at supporting active modes of travel such as walking, cycling, wheeling and park-and-stride.

Currently, the majority of schools who request support in updating their travel plans are seeking to address concerns perceived to relating to the volume and nature of car-parking, along with vehicle manoeuvring in the vicinity of the school. Given that these scenarios provide a perception of an unsafe pedestrian environment, and the Active Travel Steering Group proposed a package of measures to support schools in engaging with the school travel plan process, it was felt that a school streets trial would be worth exploring to establish if it would be an appropriate intervention for schools in Wiltshire, to address these perceptions. Additionally, progressing school streets was a manifesto commitment of the incumbent administration.

Whilst a number of local authorities have been operating school streets in recent years, it is only recently (November 2024) that Active Travel England (ATE) have produced guidance on the subject. A school street is defined as a road outside a school with a restriction on motorised traffic at the beginning and end of the school day during term-time, typically between the hours of 8-9am, and 2.30-3.30pm (it should be noted that times will be bespoke to the individual school). These restrictions are implemented via a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) which will include exemptions for residents, essential services, and other road users with specific needs.

It is planned to enforce the restrictions with the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras.

Funding has been secured from ATE for the pilot. This shows that it meets ATE requirements as an active travel project, and has allowed the appointment of consultants to engage with schools and the local community, as well as the purchase of ANPR cameras to support enforcement.The route to market is a direct award to Marston Holdings under Lot 4 of the ESPO framework 509_23, Parking Management Solutions. Marston’s subsidiary, Videalert, already provide support to Wiltshire Council for enforcement of restrictions within Wiltshire. Any solution would need to be compatible with the council’s existing PCN processing supplier, Chipside, and a direct award would allow the current arrangement between Marston Holdings/Videalert and Chipside to be retained without new data sharing agreements to be established with a new supplier. Marston Holdings (through their subsidiary Videalert) already provide support to Wiltshire Council for enforcement of restrictions within Wiltshire.

The contract entered into in July 2026 included collection and inspection of three units of legacy equipment in the possession of Wiltshire Council. The subsequent inspection found that two of the three units were defective and required repair, and it was also noted that proceeding with the repaired units would delay installation until December 2026. As a result, it was decided to proceed with the procurement of two new units in addition to the two already agreed, and to utilise one of the legacy units which does not require repair in order to able to meet the project timescales. Therefore whilst the quotation on which the original contract was based included a total of £21,000 for collection, inspection and installation of the three legacy units, the revised quotation allows for £7200 to cover one legacy unit, along with £74,000 for the procurement of four new units, bringing the value of the contract in the first year to £81,200.

See the attached document for considerations in line with Wiltshire Council’s Constitution.

Alternative options considered

The route to market for this service is based upon advice provided by the Council Procurement specialists. Further options were outlined in the Procurement Sourcing Plan.