If you have been trying to use the new online parking permit system recently introduced by Brighton & Hove City Council then you will be aware of the glitches and hitches holding up your application.
The system has been introduced to make applications for parking permits in the Brighton and Hove area more efficient and accessible from home, removing the need to queue or to risk personal information getting into the wrong hands through postal transit.
The new system has been experiencing problems which have brought great frustration to those trying to apply for, or to renew, parking permits in local areas. The council issued a statement yesterday apologising for the problems and assuring residents that the glitches in the system will not effect their chances of recieving a permit in a highly competitive environment in which permits are scarce and waiting lists are lengthy:
“Due to a technical error, some customers are experiencing problems when applying for parking permits for parking zones F (extension), I, K, S and V.
Please be assured that everyone who is eligible and applies for first and second permits in the new parking schemes will receive a permit. Parking permits for new zones are still being sent out.”
The council are hoping to have the online permit system working fully as soon as possible, adding that the problems with the system are also affecting the customer service centre. If you go into the Hove customer service centre, the council cannot guarantee that they will be able to issue you a permit during your visit.
Voices within the council tasked with remedying this issue are urging residents to be patient and stressing that there should be no rush.
During the first week of the scheme, which starts on 2 October, the council will issue warning notices on vehicles without permits. This will give time for residents to receive their permits and increase awareness of the new scheme. The council stresses that it will provide updates as soon as the situation has changes and are keen to offer their apologies for the inconvenience this malfunction has caused.
While it is still unclear why this problem has occurred, difficulties coincide with the introduction of new parking schemes that redraw permit boundaries, and which see increased emphasis placed on the digital architecture that has been built to serve permit application requirements.
For example, a ‘light touch parking scheme’ in the Hanover and Elm Grove area of the city starts from 2 October 2017, this area is often called parking zone S on street signs and maps, whilst a ‘full touch parking scheme’ in the Hanover and Elm Grove area of the city starts from 2 October 2017, this area is often called parking zone V on street signs and maps.
This change to Brighton and Hove’s parking permit system follows on from news that fraudulent activities has been occurring in the area with regard to the use of permits. Five people who were fraudulently using parking permits for areas they didn’t live in – and a sixth who was trying to sell one – have been caught by council investigators who took a more proactive approach to uncovering such rule-breaking following the unsuccessful fraudulent permit amnesty in last summer.
Working from tip-offs from the parking services team and data matching, the investigators discovered three cases in which permit holders were not living where they claimed to be, one was using someone else’s permit, one held permits in two zones, and one person trying to sell a match day permit to someone else.
The permits were from zones across the city: Coldean, Preston Park Station North, Brunswick & Adelaide, Central Hove, Goldmid and St Luke’s area by Queen’s Park.
However, despite warnings last year that people using permits illegally could face prosecution, the council decided not to take action in these six instances.
