Highlands & Islands MSP secures possible 11th hour reprieve for Highlands & Islands Traffic Wardens

4th December 2013

Following the announcement that Police Scotland were no longer going to fund and manage Traffic Wardens across Scotland, Highlands & Islands MSP Rhoda Grant has been involved in talks with Police Scotland. On Wednesday 27 November 2013, Rhoda Grant met the Chief Constable of Police Scotland, Sir Stephen House, in Stirling to explore the issues that have been raised by people in the Highlands.

Speaking earlier today Rhoda Grant said “I asked for a face to face meeting with Sir Stephen House to discuss the whole issue of Traffic Wardens throughout the Highlands & Islands.

I am grateful to him for meeting with me and engaging in a dialogue around this issue. I made it clear to Sir Stephen House that there was not the same opportunity for Local Authorities throughout the Highlands & Islands to, in effect ‘self-fund’, the Traffic Wardens through the funding sourced from the parking fines. That is notwithstanding the fact that the policy of funding the service through fines, were this possible, would in itself have a major impact on how parking and traffic flows were managed in the future. This is a really big issues for communities, high streets, shopping and commercial areas and those who live and work in or around areas of potential congestion.

Rhoda Grant continued “In the larger urban areas of Scotland the local Authorities can and do source substantial funding income from parking fines. To be fair to the Chief Constable he recognised this fact and agreed after discussion that Police Scotland would fund 50% of the Traffic Warden budget for a period up to 18 months if the Highlands and Islands Local Authorities picked up the other 50%”. She went on “This to me would appear to be a movement from the Chief Constable, but I am concerned that Local Authorities will not have that funding available within already severely stretched budgets for the provision of a service which has not been their responsibility.

“It is clear that there is an urgent need for meaningful consultation between all the parties concerned to allow savings to be made, a longer term sustainable solution to be agreed, costed and a funding package to be put in place to pay for it”

To that end I have written today (3/12/13) to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, John Swinney MSP, to ask him if the Government will provide the matched funding required to give Highlands and Islands Local Authorities and the Scottish Government the time to review funding of this service”.

Rhoda Grant concluded “ We read in the local press that there will be mayhem across the Highlands & Islands with drivers engaging in a parking free for all. I would caution that this is unlikely to happen because as it stands we still have some Traffic Wardens on our streets and they are and will be supported by the local Police who will deal with obstructions and the more serious parking infringements. I am hopeful now that we have had this move from the Chief Constable that some arrangement can be achieved that will allow time for an agreed sustainable longer term solution to be arrive at.”

Background:
Police Scotland is planning to remove Traffic Warden services which remain in parts of the country following a review of how parking enforcement is carried out.
The review into current arrangements across Scotland found that many legacy forces had already stopped providing a Traffic Warden service with, in most cases, local authorities taking on that responsibility.
Parking offences were decriminalised in 1997 when the Road Traffic Act 1991 commenced in Scotland. The change in legislation meant that, in most cases, police powers were no longer required to enforce parking legislation and local councils had the opportunity to take responsibility for parking enforcement and other minor road traffic matters such as the misuse of greenways.
With no requirement for police powers, Police Scotland is planning to withdraw the provision of police Traffic Wardens in the remaining areas of the country.

Certain traffic/parking offences which still constitute a criminal act, including dangerous parking, will continue to be enforced by police officers.