Press Release

Tuesday 5th February 2008

New penalty charge notices from 31st March

Last night’s meeting of Fareham Borough Council’s Executive agreed to adopt the new band tariff 2 for all penalty charge notices issued under the Traffic Management Act (TMA) 2004 which will come into force from Monday 31st March.

 

Under the new TMA 2004, Local Authorities are required to differentiate between parking offences. Currently all parking offences; off street and on street incur the same penalty charge, £60 reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days. To ensure that Fareham Parking Enforcement is in accordance with the TMA 2004, the new scheme separates offences into two categories; (1) a penalty charge of £70 (reduced by 50% if paid within 14 days) is for offences such as parking on double yellow lines or at a bus stop; and (2) a penalty charge of £50 (reduced by 50% if paid within 14 days) is for offences such as over staying in a Pay & Display car park.

 

Executive Member for Public Protection, Councillor Arthur Mandry, said: “We are bound under the law to change the penalty regime and it must be appropriate for the more serious offences to attract the higher penalty. We are also required to provide a service which is self-financing and based on current statistics this change is roughly cost neutral. As with the all parking offences this change will only affect those who are flouting the regulations and parking illegally.”

 

In addition the TMA requires that Parking Attendants will now be known as Civil Enforcement Officers. The new TMA gives Fareham’s Civil Enforcement Officers additional authority to issue Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) for other offences such as parking on zigzags at pedestrian crossings and sending PCNs via the post for drivers who have driven away before a ticket has been affixed to the vehicle or handed to the driver.

 

Ends

 

For Further Information Contact:

Sue Rance, Publicity Officer, tel: 01329 824518

fax: 01329 821518, e-mail: publicity@fareham.gov.uk