Issue - decisions

Summary of Decision

The Cabinet Member for City Management and Air Quality has approved the introduction of “End-User” charging for future Cashless Parking contracts, as well as the setting of a cap of 30p on End-User charges per transaction with an Officer-led contract mechanism for reviewing and approving any increases in that cap over time to allow for effective contract management and good service-delivery.

Reasons for Decision

Currently the City Council absorbs the electronic payment’s transactional charge for those paying to park on street. However, the market has for some time been moving toward charging the customer (the “end user”) rather than the Local Authority. Officers strongly believe that the City Council must move to this model in future Cashless contracts This model will improve the competitive nature of the procurement while offering potential for greater choice for our customers.

The City Council’s policies are to encourage the use of active travel and public transport when moving about the City. These policies support greater health and wellbeing through increased activity and reduced pollution and greenhouse gases. While the additional transactional costs as a percentage of the average spend is not considered likely to change behaviour it is not fair to expect residents impacted by the pollution and poor air quality to fund a service dedicated to a type of transport use that the City Council wants to discourage.