To hear from Neil Walter on the details of the discount parking scheme for residents in the borough.

Neil Walter said that residents who signed up to the scheme would have access to one hour of free parking at a select number of RBWM car parks. The system would work by using the RingGo app, with both Maidenhead and Windsor having two eligible car parks included in the scheme. Applications for the scheme opened on 14^th February, with over 1,000 applications being received in the first day. The council had so far received around 4,500 applications, with around 2,000 new RingGo accounts created and 2,000 new vehicles registered. The prediction from officers was approximately 8,000 – 10,000 applications from residents. Five drop-in sessions had been offered by the council to help those residents who needed assistance signing up for the scheme, these had been well attended with the next one due to take place in Ascot. Officers were continuing to test the live system to ensure that the tariff was correct. Each car park would have different sections, one for general use and one to enable residents to benefit from the discount.

Councillor Taylor said that she had noticed on the RingGo app that when she tried to pay and it was free, for example on a Sunday, residents were unable to pay. She asked if this would also be the case in the permit section of the app.

Neil Walter said that the charging would be the same for those with the discount permit as well as those without the discount.

Councillor Taylor asked if the app would automatically display the correct zone for the resident to park in or would these need to be manually selected through the app.

Neil Walter confirmed that the zones that were applicable for the permit would be displayed. The discounted parking would only be available for those that had the valid permit.

Councillor Taylor asked if there were plans for a video walk through to be created, showing residents how to park and what they needed to do on the RingGo app to get the discount, this could be published on the council’s social media channels.

Neil Walter responded by saying that there were videos on the website which showed how residents could sign up. Once the system was live, some additional videos could be added to the website and shared on RBWM social media channels.

Councillor Bhangra asked how many of the applications for a discount had been approved and if any other businesses, other than the council, were advertising the scheme. Councillor Bhangra agreed with Neil Walter’s comments on the scheme not being needed in car parks like the Broadway, which was due to be knocked down.

Neil Walter said that around 4,500 discount permits had been issued, he was not aware of any other businesses that were advertising the discount scheme.

Councillor Singh said that the scheme would not be live whilst the car park would be demolished. Out of the 4,500 permits, how many residents had used the scheme so far and been able to find car parking spaces.

Neil Walter said that there were 2,000 new RingGo accounts, so the applications had been made by around 2,000 residents. The system was not yet live so there was no data on usage.

Councillor Singh asked for the views of the Cabinet Member on the scheme and asked if the Broadway and Hines Meadow car parks could be considered for inclusion in the scheme.

Councillor Haseler said that officers had done research on which car parks were appropriate, the ones chosen had the biggest turn over for short stay usage. As the scheme went live and progressed, it would be monitored.

Neil Walter gave the example of West Street car park, which had around 80 spaces. In February 2022, there were 4,000 one hour stay tickets issued in this car park. In the Nicholsons car park, which had around 700 spaces, there were around 7,000 one hour stay tickets issued. This showed that the turnover for short stay parking at West Street significantly outweighed the Nicholsons car park.

Councillor Haseler added that the council needed to be realistic about the financial implications of the scheme, especially as a balanced budget had been delivered. It was a great pilot scheme and was a good place to start.

Councillor Singh said that the issue with the scheme was that it promoted short stay parking, the council should be looking to increase the dwell time of shoppers. A number of car parks were sitting empty and the scheme should be focused on quiet car parks rather than ones that were already popular and in demand.

Councillor Baldwin sought to correct Councillor Haseler by saying that the administration had proposed a balanced budget, it was not able to deliver it until the end of the next financial year. He congratulated Neil Walter, it had been a tough couple of years and he had done a good job. Councillor Baldwin said that he was a credit to RBWM and thanked Neil Walter for all his efforts.