Parking made the headlines recently, with the government revealing it wants local authorities to ensure a 'commonsense approach' is taken to enforcement.
This is part of a wider move from the authorities to reform the way in which parking is handled across the UK and will naturally have a significant impact on people working in the sector.
So, what would the adoption of a commonsense approach mean for those with parking jobs? First, it's important to try and gauge exactly what this means.
It would seem the main focus of this policy is to prevent local authorities from trying to make a profit from parking fines. The government wants to see civil enforcement officers encouraged to hand out verbal warnings rather than tickets for minor offences and said tickets should be ripped up should the driver return to the vehicle while it is being issued, the Daily Telegraph reports.
"The objective of civil parking enforcement should be for 100 per cent compliance, with no penalty charges," advice from ministers stated.
"Enforcement authorities should adopt the lowest charge level consistent with a high level of public acceptability and compliance," it added.
Patrick McLoughlin said that adopting this commonsense approach will signal an end to the Labour Party's "war on the motorist", while secretary of state for communities and local government Eric Pickles claimed he is “obsessed” with reforming the UK's approach to parking after having a "dreadful" experience with a civil enforcement officer.
What does this all means for parking professionals? For a start, it suggests a change in attitude may be required. This will probably fall hardest on parking managers, who will need to ensure officers who are used to working in a certain way can adapt to the new direction. Such a process will likely take time, as it is unrealistic to expect people to change the way they work overnight.
While adapting may be difficult at first, it could be argued the changes will be positive in the long term. After all, being less strict with fines is likely to improve the relationship between parking professionals and the public, which is good for both parties. This also seems to be a continuation of a wider transformation of the civil enforcement officer position into a more customer-service focused role, rather than solely enforcement.
While the adoption of a commonsense approach will require some changes from parking professionals, it's important to remember that the end goal remains the same: ensuring 100 per cent compliance with parking regulations.
If the new way of doing things can help to make this target become a reality, then it should be welcomed.
