Worthing council claim that high parking charges damage local trade.

[The Bald Eagle]

Way back in 2009 Worthing council recognised that NCP's excessively high parking charges were damaging local trade and were prepared to subsidise NCP with taxpayer's money to help bring back shoppers to the town.

Whether it was right to use public money to pay off private business is, in my opinion, questionable at best and raises the spectre of brown envelopes being slipped to council officials at midnight on level 4 of NCP's multi-storey car park. Perhaps it had something to do with Mr Harrison's sacking, but we may never know as he seems to not want to talk about it.

That said, the most important point here is that Worthing council admitted 5 years ago that there is a direct correlation between parking charges and local trade. I do hope they haven't supported any organisations or authorities who are parking charge "deniers".

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Worthing taxpayers face £1.5m bill as parking dispute goes to High Court

Taxpayers could foot a £1.5 million legal bill if council chiefs lose a court hearing with a parking firm.

Worthing Borough Council will face car parking company NCP in London’s High Court next week after a long dispute about parking prices and an alleged breach of contract.

Problems between the council and NCP started in 2009 when the authority raised concerns over the cost of parking in Worthing’s multi-storey car parks.

Town hall bosses claimed NCP’s prices were having a detrimental effect on Worthing’s economy, prompting NCP to re-introduce 30, 60 and 90 minute parking tariffs that would prove cheaper for motorists but result in a loss of earnings for the parking company.

As a result the council said it agreed to meet half of NCP’s losses for a year only, totalling £152,000.

But it also claimed the 12-month period was purely a ‘trial’ and stopped paying half of NCP’s losses in November 2010.

It also ended its decade-long agreement with the firm and brought its off-street parking back in-house.

NCP is now taking the council to court on February 25 and 26 for breach of contract.

If Worthing Borough Council loses the case, it is expected to cost the authority about £1.5 million including legal costs.

Amid the row, the council’s head of technical services, Cliff Harrison, was sacked for gross misconduct – but the authority refused to explain why.

However sources have confirmed Mr Harrison, who was paid more than £70,000 a year, was dismissed in relation to the NCP dispute.

Mr Harrison appealed his dismissal earlier this month but his sacking was upheld.

Andrew Gardiner, one of the council’s strategic directors, was drafted in to fulfil Mr Harrison’s duties as head of technical services while the appeal process was thrashed out.

Neither Worthing Borough Council nor NCP would comment on the case until its completion next week.

However council insiders have voiced concern over an “already cash-strapped authority” potentially having to fork out £1.5 million because of the row.

The Argus has not been able to contact Mr Harrison.

 http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/11026171.Taxpayers_face___1_5m_bill_as_parking_dispute_goes_to_High_Court/?ref=twtrec

[EDW2000]

Way back in 2009 Worthing council recognised that NCP's excessively high parking charges were damaging local trade and were prepared to subsidise NCP with taxpayer's money to help bring back shoppers to the town.

Whether it was right to use public money to pay off private business is, in my opinion, questionable at best and raises the spectre of brown envelopes being slipped to council officials at midnight on level 4 of NCP's multi-storey car park. Perhaps it had something to do with Mr Harrison's sacking, but we may never know as he seems to not want to talk about it.

That said, the most important point here is that Worthing council admitted 5 years ago that there is a direct correlation between parking charges and local trade. I do hope they haven't supported any organisations or authorities who are parking charge "deniers".

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Worthing taxpayers face £1.5m bill as parking dispute goes to High Court

Taxpayers could foot a £1.5 million legal bill if council chiefs lose a court hearing with a parking firm.

Worthing Borough Council will face car parking company NCP in London’s High Court next week after a long dispute about parking prices and an alleged breach of contract.

Problems between the council and NCP started in 2009 when the authority raised concerns over the cost of parking in Worthing’s multi-storey car parks.

Town hall bosses claimed NCP’s prices were having a detrimental effect on Worthing’s economy, prompting NCP to re-introduce 30, 60 and 90 minute parking tariffs that would prove cheaper for motorists but result in a loss of earnings for the parking company.

As a result the council said it agreed to meet half of NCP’s losses for a year only, totalling £152,000.

But it also claimed the 12-month period was purely a ‘trial’ and stopped paying half of NCP’s losses in November 2010.

It also ended its decade-long agreement with the firm and brought its off-street parking back in-house.

NCP is now taking the council to court on February 25 and 26 for breach of contract.

If Worthing Borough Council loses the case, it is expected to cost the authority about £1.5 million including legal costs.

Amid the row, the council’s head of technical services, Cliff Harrison, was sacked for gross misconduct – but the authority refused to explain why.

However sources have confirmed Mr Harrison, who was paid more than £70,000 a year, was dismissed in relation to the NCP dispute.

Mr Harrison appealed his dismissal earlier this month but his sacking was upheld.

Andrew Gardiner, one of the council’s strategic directors, was drafted in to fulfil Mr Harrison’s duties as head of technical services while the appeal process was thrashed out.

Neither Worthing Borough Council nor NCP would comment on the case until its completion next week.

However council insiders have voiced concern over an “already cash-strapped authority” potentially having to fork out £1.5 million because of the row.

The Argus has not been able to contact Mr Harrison.

 http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/11026171.Taxpayers_face___1_5m_bill_as_parking_dispute_goes_to_High_Court/?ref=twtrec

Did his career go over a Cliff?

[The Bald Eagle]

They settled, using taxpayer's money to pay off a private company.

Sound familiar?

Remember when Wastemonster did the same thing after awarding Verrus the pay-by-phone contract ahead of cheaper bids by other comanies (Mouchel I think?) after they moved the tendering goal posts.

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Worthing Council reaches rumoured £700k out of court settlement with NCP over car park row

 Worthing Council has agreed to compensate a parking firm just days before it was due to appear before court.

Worthing Borough Council was due to fight an alleged breach of contract with parking company NCP today at London's High Court.

The authority was being sued for more than £1 million after it ended a decade-long parking contract with the firm to bring services back in-house. It was claimed NCP's prices were having a detrimental effect on Worthing's economy.

But days before the case an out-of-court settlement was agreed with NCP, believed to be about £700,000.

 The settlement will have come as a relief to council bosses, who last week voiced concern that an “already cash-strapped council” would have had to fork out £1.5 million if it lost the case.

Insiders say taxpayers' will not directly fund the settlement figure through money-making exercises, like council tax rises, because the council budgets for unforeseen expenditure.

Councillor Daniel Humphreys, cabinet member for resources at Worthing Borough Council, said: “I cannot comment on the announcement, but prices have been reduced dramatically down to £1 an hour in all multi-storey car parks previously run by NCP.

 “The company does not run the council's car parks anymore.”

The council's former head of technical services, Cliff Harrison, lost his job in relation to the contract dispute.

A statement from Worthing Borough Council said: “Worthing Borough Council and NCP are pleased to announce the amicable settlement of the contract dispute.

“The contract, which is due to finish on March 31 2014, sees the end of a ten-year period during which NCP has managed and operated the town's multi storey car parks and a number of surface car parks on behalf of the council.

“The parties have agreed to keep the details of the settlement agreement between them confidential and not to disclose the details to any third party.”

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/11035471.Worthing_Council_reaches_rumoured___700k_out_of_court_settlement_with_NCP_over_car_park_row/?ref=twtrec

[Web Admin]

Ex councillor calls for police investigation into NCP dispute

A COUNCILLOR who resigned in protest over an £800,000 settlement paid to NCP over a contract dispute has called for a police investigation into the issue.

Tom Wye, who resigned last month in the wake of the payout made by Worthing Borough Council, was dismayed at a gagging order placed on members preventing them revealing the amount of public money handed to the car parking firm.

Mr Wye believes councillors were kept in the dark throughout the process, and has urged Sussex Police to see if there was any criminal activity within the town hall.

He said: “I am absolutely convinced an investigation is needed of some sort.

“If there is one and it concludes there was no criminal activity, I will accept it, but it has got to be worth investigating purely on the amount of money involved.”

Mr Wye highlighted how councillors had not been involved in the proceedings regarding the dispute and said residents had a right to know why so much public money had been spent.

He added: “Councillors have been made to play a spectator role in this costly legal battle by the officers.

“There are numerous questions that need to be answered and this can only be done by a completely independent body.

“I have not heard from the police and will give them until the end of the week before seeking further advice.”

The council said last year that the dispute related to the introduction of revised short-stay parking tariffs, which were first introduced in Worthing’s car parks in November, 2009, for what it asserts was a 12-month trial.

At the time, cabinet members agreed to pay for half of the losses the NCP would incur during the year-long period.

However, NCP was claiming compensation for the full four-and-a-half-years since the parking was introduced.

An out of court settlement was agreed days before the case was due in the High Court.

A Sussex Police spokesman confirmed they had been contacted about the allegations.

They said: “On Monday, March 10, we were contacted by a local man who alleged some impropriety in relation to a contract between Adur and Worthing councils and NCP.

“The issues raised will be looked into but at this time there is no criminal investigation.”


http://www.worthingherald.co.uk/news/local/ex-councillor-calls-for-police-investigation-into-ncp-dispute-1-5944296#.UyyICRyGUzo.twitter

[The Bald Eagle]

The plot thickens.

[DastardlyDick]

Westminsters payout to Mouchel was for the Contract to do On Street Parking Enforcement, they (allegedly) moved the goal posts and then awarded the Contract to NSL who were already doing the job.

I think Councils justify this sort of thing on the basis that it protects the Tax Payer from huge Legal bills if they lose, to which the obvious question is "If you didn't think you'd win, why did you bother to issue proceedings in the first place?"

Isn't it funny how it's always EX Councillors who demand enquiries into 'goings on' at the Council - they all seem perfectly happy with the situation while in office!

[Kill Switch]

Isn't it funny how it's always EX Councillors who demand enquiries into 'goings on' at the Council - they all seem perfectly happy with the situation while in office!

How true is that!  They all seem so happy when it's their own noses in the trough

[Pat Pending]

Gravy Train!

[«THÖMÅS®©™»]

This sounds dodgy to me.

Based on the outrageous amount paid to the scammers known as NCP, I suspect a bit of corruption and bribery was involved.

Good God, I could live on £800k for the rest of my life in the USA and still have change!