RESOLVED

1.    That the important role that Parking Services play to help deliver key strategic council priorities including public health, air quality and sustainable transportation be noted; and

2.    That the contents of the Cabinet report and the key strategic policies in order to review future parking policies and charges be noted.

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Housing and Transport presented the report on behalf of the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health who had given his apologies for the meeting.  The report was the first stage in examining the impacts of vehicle emissions on air quality and public health and ways in which the Council can address through looking at parking policy and sustainable transport.  There would be a further report to Cabinet in December before being considered by Scrutiny in January.

The Cabinet Member thanked all those involved in the Cabinet report, which had received cross-departmental contributions.  He highlighted the health issues arising from poor air quality caused by traffic congestion and stressed the commitment to reducing the impact on residents by reducing emissions and tackling air quality by moving to more sustainable modes of transport, promoting walking and cycling and adopting a strategic approach to setting parking charges, looking at both on and off street parking.

The Director of Environment and Regeneration advised that central government had devolved the responsibility for managing air quality and Public Health to local government.  The Council has a range of measures it can use to tackle the issues, if not all the policy levers.  The Council had already implemented an emissions based levy which would be reviewed in 2019 when officers had gathered two years’ worth of data to assess.  He outlined the targets which the London Mayor had set in respect of increasing use of sustainable modes of transport and the obligation of the Council to meet those targets.

The Council currently has a commitment to review parking charges and the Cabinet report builds on that commitment.  The Council would consider charging in light of access to other modes of transport, balancing the needs of residents and businesses.  The Council also has a commitment to improving both public health and air quality in the Borough.  Many other boroughs were having to plan to reduce the impact of emissions on their residents, and to fail to act on this would be a derogation of the Council’s duty.  A proposed schedule of charging would be brought to Cabinet in December before being considered by Scrutiny in January.

The Director of Public Health welcomed the report and advised the Cabinet that there was an emerging evidence base on the impacts of air quality on public health, particularly the impact on the cognitive development of young children, which was currently being examined by an independent committee.  Therefore air quality had a disproportionate impact on those who are most vulnerable and the Council had a duty to address that inequality.

The Leader thanked all for their contributions and welcomed the report.

RESOLVED

1.    That the important role that Parking Services play to help deliver key strategic council priorities including public health, air quality and sustainable transportation be noted; and

2.    That the contents of the Cabinet report and the key strategic policies in order to review future parking policies and charges be noted.