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Call for parking tickets inquiry
Opposition leader demands investigation after TV documentary revelations
OPPOSITION leaders are calling for an independent inquiry into allegations made on national television that the council’s parking contractor sets “ticket targets”.
The West End Extra was last week shown exclusive footage of the Channel 4 documentary, Confessions of a Traffic Warden, part of the Cutting Edge series, before it aired on Thursday.
The programme’s producer, Olly Lambert, said this week he found an “ingrained culture” within City Hall’s parking operation in which wardens believed they would be rewarded with extra overtime for issuing high numbers of tickets.
He said Channel 4 had conducted its own investigation while making the programme which resulted in 10 signed statements supporting the claims made by a warden on camera about incentives to issue tickets.
Contractor NSL Services deny there is any pressure, incentives or targets for their 200 wardens.
But Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, leader of the Labour group said: “These are very serious allegations which need to be independently investigated as a matter of urgency. We have long suspected that the council has covertly been operating a policy of setting parking ticket targets and the Channel 4 programme appears to confirm residents’ worst fears.”
The council said it would not investigate the claims, directing all enquiries to NSL.
Tim Cowen, from NSL Services, said: “We wrote to councillor Dimoldenberg with more detail of this after the West End Extra quoted him on this subject some weeks ago, and will be delighted to discuss it with him in detail if wishes to contact us directly.”
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