Target fixation

KPI2

Now Mr Mustard has heard several times an assurance that there isn't a target for the number of parking tickets issued by NSL, most recently by Pam Wharfe, the interim Director with responsibility for parking, to the Budget & Performance Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

He was surprised therefore, when a local authority parking expert pointed out KPI2 to him. This says that the effectiveness of the contract will include the activity level of "PCNs issued". Now we know that the number of PCN fell when NSL took over and the reaction of the council hasn't been to accept that as a fact but rather to put together a "parking recovery plan" to get them back up to the target level. This shows that what matters to the council is the number of parking tickets issued because they rely on the income as an integral part of the budget.

They don't really want motorists to park properly at all times as that doesn't make any money.

Once Mr Mustard sees the parking recovery plan, you will see it.

Now this parking enforcement contract is a One Barnet contract. We are meant to believe that if the NSCSO contract has any failure in it, that Capita will be held to account.

What did the council do when NSL failed to deliver, did they look for compensation for some of the £1,200,000 that the Special Parking Account was short? No, Mr Mustard hears they paid for extra traffic wardens and they wrote the recovery plan. Of course what we don't know is in what ways the officers failed in the contract specification handover and that information they want to keep quiet. If compensation for failure cannot be obtained in a simple contract like parking, it certainly isn't going to be in an extremely complicated one like NSCSO.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard