Cherwell District Council is set to strike a new deal with Oxfordshire County Council that will see car park enforcement streamlined.
Cherwell council’s executive will on 5 September approve plans which build on existing relationships with the county council, which took over enforcement of on-street parking in November 2021.
The new deal will streamline enforcement, speed up card payments and save £100,000 a year.
Cherwell’s current contract with APCOA is worth around £450,000 a year. The predicted annual spend under a deal with the county council is under £350,000.
Cllr Dan Sames, portfolio holder for Cleaner and Greener Communities, said: ‘Our commitment under a new arrangement with Oxfordshire County Council will be to speed up payment machines and increase pay on exit, which I know is popular with drivers. We will retain cash payments so that users have a choice of how to pay.
‘Since it was introduced nearly a year ago, the arrangement for enforcement of on-street parking we have with the county council seems to have been a success.
‘It makes sense that enforcement in our car parks should be carried out by the same team, and this will cost the taxpayer less money too. At the same time, we at Cherwell will retain a large degree of control over our car parks, setting the overall enforcement strategy and monitoring their performance.’
