Five new staff to join Luton Borough Council's parking enforcement team despite budget cuts

The increase is to meet the demands the service faces, despite the local authority’s planned budget cuts because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The extra cost to the council will be met through additional income, according to a report to its administration and regulation committee.

Luton has 27 residential parking schemes - “a significant increase” on the eight in place when the council took over running the schemes in 1999.

Since then, red routes have been introduced, while the number of yellow line waiting-and-loading regulations has also risen, added the report

Neighbourhood operations manager Tony Stefano said that there are currently “just over 27 full-time or equivalent staff, which will become a little over 32 with the extra staffing”.

Liberal Democrat Stopsley councillor David Wynn asked whether red routes are supervised and monitored by camera.

Mr Stefano replied: “Red routes is a restriction which can be enforced either by civil officers on foot or CCTV cameras.

“Primarily, this is by CCTV, but where officers walk in an area where there is a red route - they have the ability to move vehicles on and issue parking charge notices.”

Labour Leagrave councillor Waheed Akbar, who chairs the committee, asked whether the recruitment should be delayed as the extra costs may not be covered due to Covid-19.

Service director of public protection, Sarah Hall said: “Our income levels this year don’t reflect what the whole of the parking service normally generates.

“We’re mindful that we’re in a difficult situation with Covid, but that’s not going to last indefinitely.

“We have a reasonably high turnover of staff and it can be difficult to recruit these roles.

“This proposal is to get us ready for when we have that full-on demand for the staff and those resources again.”

The committee approved the five extra posts.