The Clean and Green Policy Development Committee discussed a comprehensive review of the council's parking services, with a particular focus on recommendations stemming from five workshops held between July 2025 and January 2026. Key areas of discussion included parking permits, vehicle removal services, penalty charge notices (PCNs) and controlled parking zones (CPZs), disabled parking, and the overall parking strategy. A draft report is to be produced and shared, with a target for a solid version by the end of February, ahead of the next meeting on March 10, 2026.

Parking Permit System Reforms

The committee reviewed recommendations for reforming the parking permit system. These included considering the introduction of emission-based charging for resident and business permit holders, with explorations into appropriate mitigations for lower-income households. Another significant recommendation was to review the current system of issuing free visitor vouchers to disabled badge holders, proposing instead a free carer's permit for those needing care at home, irrespective of disability status. The council also considered maintaining the current practice of issuing free resident permits to disabled badge holders and dropping administration fees for free permits, typically issued to disabled badge holders. A proposal was also made to consider introducing a specific three- or six-month permit for foreign-registered vehicles owned by residents living in controlled parking zones, addressing the current policy that prevents issuing permits to non-UK registered vehicles.

Vehicle Removal Service and Car Pound

A significant discussion centred on the absence of a vehicle removal service and car pound in Redbridge. Recommendations included the council adopting such a service, potentially including it in the impending tender for the civil enforcement service contract. The proposed service would allow for a pound facility outside the borough, provided it is within a 30-minute drive or one-hour public transport journey from a borough midpoint. The possibility of a shared site for efficiency and cost savings was also discussed. The service would operate six days a week with two tow trucks for adequate coverage. The council was also advised to adopt national persistent evader legislation to deal with vehicles with multiple unpaid penalty charge notices. Removal criteria would prioritise serious parking contraventions, and the service provider would be contractually responsible for the entire process, including vehicle disposal, with key performance indicators (KPIs) and penalties for failure to dispose of vehicles in a timely manner. Concerns were raised about the current public hotline for reporting illegal parking, with acknowledgement of issues including a single line, lack of voicemail, and resourcing challenges. The tender for the service will look to improve service levels for the phone line, with an online form also available for reporting.

Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) and Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs)

The committee examined the council's approach to CPZs and the issuance of PCNs. It was noted that the current approach is largely reactive, relying on resident petitions, which often results in small, fragmented schemes. Recommendations included developing a strategic plan for potential CPZ boundaries, considering options for adjacent streets to opt-in to impending CPZs to manage displacement, and improving the quality of consultation material, particularly by including before and after examples of CPZ benefits. The need for increased capacity for proactive and higher-quality engagement was highlighted, along with proactively engaging surrounding streets when a petition is received. The discussion also covered the potential for more shared-use or mixed-use bays where appropriate, rather than predominantly resident-only bays. The committee affirmed that the service should continue to follow the London Councils' enforcement guidelines and civil enforcement handbook. Guidance for councillors on PCN engagement was also discussed, with a recommendation to produce a standard member pack to clarify their involvement in individual cases.

Disabled Parking Provisions

The committee reviewed disabled parking provisions, including feedback from a workshop with the disability group One Place East. Recommendations included exploring time limits for disabled bays in high streets and shopping areas to ensure turnover, with feedback suggesting a three- or four-hour limit would be more appropriate than the previously considered two hours. The council was recommended to continue voluntary concessions such as all-day free parking for blue badge holders in off-street car parks, free resident permits for blue badge holders, and allowing blue badge holders to park for three hours in resident-only bays. The current policy of providing free visitor vouchers to blue badge holders for care purposes is proposed to be replaced by a carer's permit. Further recommendations included lobbying for an increase in the replacement fee for lost blue badges to deter fraudulent activity, bolstering commitment to blue badge fraud operations with recovered costs reinvested, and an audit of disabled bays in residential areas with a modernisation of the traffic order making process. The consultation on a two-hour time limit for disabled bays was confirmed as paused, with a view towards considering longer limits, potentially three or four hours, or different limits for different scenarios.

Overall Parking Strategy

The final workshop focused on the overarching purpose of parking controls. Recommendations included that any refreshed strategy should set out a clear statement of purpose for parking controls, aligning operational tools with wider objectives such as road safety, accessibility, air quality, town centre vitality, and placemaking. The refreshed strategy should be underpinned by agreed principles including fairness, equality of access, prioritisation of safety and vulnerable road users, effective management of limited kerb space, and transparency regarding parking controls as a demand management tool. Work will be undertaken to translate this strategy into practical policy options, including consistent CPZ design, permit reforms, targeted enforcement, and kerbside management approaches. Further consideration will be given to how residents are communicated with and engaged, improving the quality of material to better explain the rationale behind parking control schemes. The approach taken by the Royal Borough of Greenwich, which has moved towards sustainable street schemes that holistically consider parking alongside cycle provision, tree planting, and other environmental factors, was discussed as a potential model.