Annual Parking Report 2022

Portfolio holder for Environment and Transport  

Welcome to Gateshead Council's Annual Parking Report for 2022/23. This year's report seeks to provide information to residents and other stakeholders about how Gateshead Council seeks to deliver parking provision and enforcement, as well as other associated services across the borough. In doing so, it places those activities in the context of other policies, including our contribution to the council's vision for the economic and environmental sustainability of the borough and our legal duty to keep traffic moving as freely as we reasonably can on our roads. 

The Council realises that people have different parking needs and expectations.   Levels of car ownership continue to rise and the resulting demand for parking places, particularly on-street, far outstrips the availability of kerb space in most urban areas, including Gateshead. The Council's Parking Services Team, part of the Highways & Waste service within the Housing, Environment & Healthy Communities group are responsible for ensuring that motorists comply with parking restrictions in Gateshead and the day-to-day management of the Council's off-street car parks. In instances where motorists fail to comply with the regulations, appropriate action is taken which inevitably leads to the issuing of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs). 

I do understand that parking enforcement is not always popular, particularly if you have received a parking ticket. Equally, however, motorists who do park correctly expect robust action to be taken against those who do not, especially in busy areas. The Traffic Management Act 2004 places a duty on local authorities to effectively manage their network to reduce disruption and congestion.  

An effectively managed parking service is crucial in supporting the Council's "Thrive" Agenda in ensuring healthy neighbourhoods and a thriving town centre for our residents, businesses, and visitors to the area. The Council, like many of our neighbouring authorities, continues to deal with challenges including congestion, climate change and air quality issues. Parking enforcement is a fundamental service of the Council with the aim to influence how people choose to travel, with the aim of encouraging more sustainable forms of transport. 

To conclude, I hope that the contents of this report will help to explain what some of the objectives of parking enforcement are and why enforcement activity is necessary to help meet these objectives.