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General Category => General No To Mob Discussion => Topic started by: Web Admin on 25 April, 2016, 11:03:58 AM

Title: Nick Lester-Davis passes London Councils' transport brief to Spencer Palmer
Post by: Web Admin on 25 April, 2016, 11:03:58 AM: https://www.transportxtra.com/publications/parking-review/news/48760/nick-lester-davis-passes-london-councils-transport-brief-to-spencer-palmer (https://www.transportxtra.com/publications/parking-review/news/48760/nick-lester-davis-passes-london-councils-transport-brief-to-spencer-palmer)

Nick Lester-Davis passes London Councils' transport brief to Spencer Palmer

Lester-Davis will remain active on parking and low-emission vehicles

Nick Lester-Davis, corporate director of services at London Councils, will be formally handing overall responsibility for transport issues to Spencer Palmer, who joined as director of transport and mobility last September.

Palmer will join London Councils’ corporate management team and take on wider management responsibilities.

Lester-Davis continues as corporate director, but his primary focus will be on a ‘challenge process’ that aims to inform thinking about what London local government requires from London Councils over the next five years.

He will also continue to lead London Councils’ work on ultra-low emission vehicles, electric vehicles and car sharing. He remains London Councils’ primary point of contact with the British Parking Association (BPA).

Lester-Davis will continue to have responsibility for services such as: Capital Ambition, the regional improvement and efficiency partnership for London; grants and communitty services; and Young People's Education and Skills (YPES).

London Councils and the BPA are set to undergo arbitration over payments relating to the operation of Parking on Private Land Appeals (PoPLA). London Councils says it is owed over £168,000 by the BPA, a figure the parking association disputes.

London Councils operated PoPLA on behalf of the BPA from its launch in November 2012 until September this year. The contract saw the BPA paying London Councils around £900,000 a year to hear appeals by drivers issued parking charge notices by members of its Approved Operator Scheme (AOS).

London Councils sought to operate the contract on a “non-profit, full cost recovery basis”, meaning that it recharged the BPA a proportion of its management time and management overhead.
Title: Re: Nick Lester-Davis passes London Councils' transport brief to Spencer Palmer
Post by: The Bald Eagle on 26 April, 2016, 09:52:02 AM: Looks like he has finally lost his iron grip on London Councils. Good!

Can't say I'm surprised. He's become an embarrassment to LC, particularly after (and Transport Xtra quite rightly make the link in their article) the POPLA scandal.
Title: Re: Nick Lester-Davis passes London Councils' transport brief to Spencer Palmer
Post by: BGB on 26 April, 2016, 11:35:53 AM: The outstanding POPLA bill is quoted at £168,000, down from £700,000+. Has any payment or write off occurred?

Who was it who assured the Committee that POPLA would not impose any costs on London Councils and hence London Council Tax payers?

Oh yes, I remember. One Mr Lester.
Title: Re: Nick Lester-Davis passes London Councils' transport brief to Spencer Palmer
Post by: Boyo on 26 April, 2016, 02:18:48 PM: Did he always go by that somewhat grandiose, double-barrelled moniker "Lester - Davis"? <_>
Previously, I've only heard him referred to as plain old 'Nick Lester".
Maybe it's a "rebranding exercise" to try and distance himself in future from the POPLA debacle? <Whistle>
If that is the case and with reference to BGB's comment above, maybe "Lester - Pay(vis)" would be more appropriate? :D
Title: Re: Nick Lester-Davis passes London Councils' transport brief to Spencer Palmer
Post by: The Bald Eagle on 26 April, 2016, 05:39:58 PM: Quote from: Boyo on 26 April, 2016, 02:18:48 PM
Did he always go by that somewhat grandiose, double-barrelled moniker "Lester - Davis"? <_>

No mate. He took his partner's name when he married him.
Title: Re: Nick Lester-Davis passes London Councils' transport brief to Spencer Palmer
Post by: Boyo on 26 April, 2016, 08:41:44 PM: Fair play then, that's a sound enough reason.
Mischief and cynicism got the better of me :schucks:
Title: Re: Nick Lester-Davis passes London Councils' transport brief to Spencer Palmer
Post by: The Bald Eagle on 27 April, 2016, 11:22:53 AM: Quote from: BGB on 26 April, 2016, 11:35:53 AM
The outstanding POPLA bill is quoted at £168,000, down from £700,000+.

Lots of figures have been bandied about in order not to alarm BPA Ltd members (they might think the BPA Ltd would not have cash reserves to pay the true figure and would therefore be bankrupted).

The amount that is frequently quoted by both London Councils and the BPA Ltd is either £168,000 or £232,000. However, these amounts are the only ones subject to arbitration.

What is not widely known is that thanks to some creative bookkeeping at LC, more invoices were delivered to the BPA Ltd AFTER the POPLA contract ended, and if you add up the total amount owed it comes to over £713k.

Don't worry, we've got our eye on the situation and if LC attempt to write off a single penny of the debt without proper justification..........

<hitthefan> <hitthefan> <hitthefan> <hitthefan> <hitthefan> <hitthefan>
Title: Re: Nick Lester-Davis passes London Councils' transport brief to Spencer Palmer
Post by: Ewan Hoosami on 27 April, 2016, 06:14:04 PM: <Yeahthat> Hear hear M'learned Eagle. :aplude: No Nick Lesters were assaulted during the making of this thread and we'll do our best to make sure that no London taxpayers are assaulted by Nick Lester.

<cash>