DPPP Scottish Ministers Annual Report
Disabled Persons' Parking Places (Scotland) Act 2009 Annual Report On Local Authorities Functions 1 October 2009 (Enforcement Date) To 31 March 2011
(Late reports highlighted in bold)
Schedule Part 2, section 3 (a):
Section 1. Duty to promote use of parking places for disabled persons' vehicles. (As there was no pro-forma/template drawn up, each Report varies in style and format).
Actions Taken
(1) Aberdeen City Council
Due to lack of additional resources and funding, the Council employed temporary staff over the summer month to survey and schedule all on street disabled parking places. On completion of a city wide schedule the need for the necessary Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) will be reported to their Committee the Council currently operate their own unique Green Badge scheme but this does not align with DPPP. Therefore this scheme is now under review. Report received on 31 August.
(2) Aberdeenshire Council
Aberdeenshire Council promoted the proper use of parking spaces for disabled persons' vehicles by routinely issuing charge notices to those using such spaces improperly in car parks covered by the Aberdeenshire Council (Off Street Parking) Order. The number of such notices issued during the reporting period was 31 of which 7 were cancelled when a blue badge was produced during the appeals process.
(3) Angus Council
Angus Council has identified all advisory street parking in its area. In terms of each advisory space the Council assessed each one, ensuring convenient access to the qualifying person's address, made arrangements for the road marking and associated signs to conform to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 (TSRGD). Equally where a disabled parking space was deemed no longer necessary arrangements were made for the road markings and signs to be removed.
The Council has created web pages within the Council's website to assist and inform the public regarding requests and the statutory process.
(4) Argyll & Bute Council
Argyll & Bute have collated all the information in relation to currently marked advisory Disabled persons' parking places. The various spaces have been reconciled against the register of Disabled Blue Badge holders. Where positive matches have been made and identified that the space is still required then the space has been included in a Traffic Regulation Order. Report received on 9 August.
(5) City of Edinburgh Council
Report submitted by Edinburgh identified 20676 disabled Blue Badge Holders and 7969 related specifically to drivers. Staff from their Parking Operations will take responsibility for the generation of Traffic Regulation Orders and the enforcement of all disabled parking spaces. Parking Operations will also undertake the task of writing to all businesses within the city boundary and co-ordinate responses and liaise with other departments as necessary. Report received on 9 September.
(6) Clackmannanshire Council
Traffic Regulations Orders are prepared for all new applications. Existing bays which were advisory are now being promoted under traffic regulation orders. Road markings are being refreshed/updated. Removal of disabled parking bays no longer required and traffic regulation orders revoked.
Ongoing review of disabled parking bays on a regular basis with regular in contact with The Scottish Government's Blue Badge team. Report received on 7 July.
(7) Dumfries & Galloway Council
Dumfries & Galloway established a working group to ascertain the extent of the disabled spaces under their control. The council have no advisory spaces in their area as this was not Council policy. Report received on 8 November.
(8) Dundee City Council
Dundee informed us their report would not be able to lend itself to the format outlined in Part 1 of the Schedule. This is due to inaccurate records held previously with their Social Work Department. However, the Council did numerous site visits to check bays were properly marked and identified those which needed altered/added or removed.
853 businesses were contacted and only 5 returned the letter wishing the Council to take up their offer of disabled bay enforcement.
(9) East Ayrshire Council
The Council carried out site surveys to establish all advisory on-street bays and letters/questionnaires were sent to all disabled parking bay holders. A press release was issued and a dedicated email enquiry point set-up.
(10) East Dunbartonshire Council
The Council carried out an audit of parking bays and ensured enforceable bays had statutory marking to enable to Police to carry out enforcement duties. The council met with the police to discuss abuse of parking spaces.
(11) East Renfrewshire Council
The Council completed a full survey of their area and located and recorded all existing advisory bays. The Council also issued 50 questionnaires to private car park owners who have off-street bays and only 5 were returned. 150 questionnaires were sent to householders who may have an on-street bay. Consultation on-going. Report received on 1 July.
(12) Falkirk Council
Falkirk council considered all requests for disabled persons parking and has, where possible commenced the statutory process to make Orders for the applicants. Falkirk have also indentified all advisory disabled parking places located in private car parks and where possible commenced the statutory process to make Orders for these bays to. Report received 25 November.
(13) Fife Council
Committee approval was given to promote traffic regulations orders to implement DPPP Act 2009. Fife Council are compiling information on existing on-street and off-street advisory disabled bays and in parallel a programme of work is currently progressing to erect signs at each retained parking bay once traffic regulations orders have been made.
A Public Notice will be put in the local press when compilation completed. No work has progressed to investigate a way of seeking arrangements with various Council car parks or private car parks to be made enforceable however, information is available on the Council's website.
(14) Glasgow City Council
The Council undertook audits for both on and off street parking bays, with a survey of every road in Glasgow. Arrangements are being made to promote traffic regulation orders where appropriate and remove redundant bays. New developments are being audited and contact made to seek agreement to enforce disabled parking in privately maintained car parking areas. Report received 11 October.
(15) Highland Council
The Council have informed us that with limited resources they have identified disabled spaces for on-street parking bays and they are preparing traffic regulation orders . They will identify and prepare traffic regulation orders in respect of off-street parking bays and identify off-street parking bays on private land where the landowner agrees. Report received 5 August.
(16) Inverclyde Council
Inverclyde Council identified all advisory bays in their area and where necessary began traffic regulation orders. An online application process created for of disabled bays.
(17) Midlothian Council
The Council have not been able to implement the new Act as rapidly as it would wish due to lack of funding however, all on-street advisory bays have been logged and statutory process was started to transform these bays into enforceable bays. This process is ongoing. The process has also begun to log and inspect off-street Council car parks so these can be incorporated into a statutory Order.
The Council contacted 1800 businesses drawing their attention to the Act and offering the assistance of the Council but no requests has yet been received. Report received 22 July.
(18) Moray Council
All existing advisory bays were identified and their status determined by contacting the original applicant to ascertain if bay still required. If the parking bay is found to be no longer required it is earmarked for removal. Report received 9 September.
(19) North Ayrshire Council
North Ayrshire Council completed an inventory of all existing residential disabled bays undertaken and 300 identified. Letters sent to all 300 households and 160 responded. Therefore only these have been processed. Report received 9 November.
(20) North Lanarkshire Council
The Council liaised with their Social Work Dept, in respect of on-street bays and cross
checked databases. They also wrote to all addressees to establish continued requirement of the bay. Based on the responses a schedule was prepared to promote an associated Order. With regard to off-street bays, the Council also surveyed 672 premises both public and private, requesting if the bays would like to be included in the Order. This is an ongoing process. Report received 5 September.
(21) Orkney Islands Council
Orkney Council identified all off and on street disabled parking bays and established
which of these bays were necessary or required to be removed. Work is still in progress to reach arrangements with the providers of private car parks and new developments. The Council are assessing new on-street requests as and when necessary. Report received 8 July.
(22) Perth & Kinross Council
Existing bays in Perth city centre and on Limited Waiting areas in towns and villages are covered in the existing traffic regulation orders. No more relevant information supplied. Report received 12 July.
(23) Renfrewshire Council
A survey of the Council area was carried out recording locations of all existing advisory disabled bays. The Council issued 845 questionnaires households and 550 to off-street car park owners. 540 householders and 270 off street replied. It was recognised the costs for individual orders would be expensive therefore 2 larger orders for on-street and off-street was the most cost effective with 6 monthly updates.
(24) Scottish Borders Council
The Council has designated on-street disabled spaces/ provided advisory disabled on-street and off street spaces - provided enforceable off-street disabled parking through traffic regulation orders including some in car parks under private ownership/enforced off-street parking regulations and encouraged on-street enforced by Police. Report received 16 September.
(25) South Ayrshire Council
The Council carried out surveys and identified 175 on-street bays and these will be included in the new order which will supersede the existing order. Report received 6 July
(26) South Lanarkshire Council
The Council carried out surveys to establish location of all disabled bays. Traffic regulation orders were promoted where appropriate and redundant bays removed. The Council has sought to reach agreement to regulate disabled parking bays within privately operated car parks. However, no owner took up the Council's offer to enforce their bays.
(27) West Dunbartonshire Council
In order to fulfil the Councils duty under section 1 of the Act the Council considered the method best suitable for delivering and maintaining disabled persons parking spaces. The Council has an up to date database for all on-street disabled parking bays which identifies those already legally enforceable and those which are advisory only. Report received 14 December 2011
(28) Western Isles Council
The Council presented to their committee reports identifying all advisory bays in their area and these reports were also made public. Letters written to all Councillors as well as all Local Community Councils advising them of the requirements of the Act and sought their assistance in delivering the Council's duties. Report received 5 July.
(29) West Lothian Council
The Council used various methods to convey information to the community by advertising the West Lothian Bulletin which reached 77000 households. Information on the council web during statutory advertisement period plus information on provisions available on their website at all times.
Further Information
a) section 3 (b): the total number of parking places designated by the local authorities as being for use only by a disabled persons' vehicle by virtue of the provisions of this Act (except section 9):
| East Dunbartonshire | 347 |
| Falkirk | 98 |
| Inverclyde | 31 |
| Moray | 17 |
| North Lanarkshire | 1078 |
| Scottish Borders | 4 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 264 |
| Total | 1839 |
b) section 3 (c): for each category of information under paragraph 1 that requires the reporting of a number or a date, a table setting out the number reported by each local authority;
c) section 3 (d): for each category of information under paragraph 1 that requires the reporting of a period, a table setting out the period reported by each local authority;
d) section 3 (e): for each category of information under paragraph 1 that requires the reporting of reasons, a summary of the reasons reported by each local authority;
Please see attached excel spreadsheet which details all of the above require information. (49k)
e) section 4: other information about the performance by local authorities of their functions in relation to parking places for disabled persons' vehicles during the reporting period that the Scottish Ministers consider appropriate:
29 of the 32 local authorities completed a report. The reports are in a variety of formats and a variety of detail. Most of the local authorities commented on the demands on their resources in this tight financial climate and some voiced concern about the complexity of the legislation. Reports are still awaited from East Lothian Council, Shetland Council and
Stirling Council
Transport Scotland
January 2012