Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence from Councillors.

Apologies were received from the Chair, Cllr K Salmon, Cllr Dedman and Cllr C Weight.

To receive information on any changes in the membership of the Committee.

Note – When a member of a Committee is unable to attend a meeting of a Committee or Sub-Committee, the relevant Political Group Leader (or their nominated representative) may, by notice to the Monitoring Officer (or their nominated representative) prior to the meeting, appoint a substitute member from within the same Political Group. The contact details on the front of this agenda should be used for notifications.

Cllr A Keddie substituted for Cllr K Salmon.

Councillors are requested to declare any interests on items included in this agenda. Please refer to the workflow on the preceding page for guidance.

Declarations received will be reported at the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest made on this occasion.

To confirm and sign as a correct record the minutes of the Meeting held on 23 February 2026.

The minutes of the meeting held on 23 February 2026 were approved as a

For the Board to note the latest updates to the Recommendation Tracker and consider any outstanding actions.

The recommendation tracker was noted. The Board was advised that the feedback from the Consultation Framework recommendations was due to be reported to the June meeting due to the full agenda for the May meeting.

To receive any public questions, statements or petitions submitted in accordance with the Constitution. Further information on the requirements for submitting these is available to view at the following link:-

https://democracy.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CommitteeID=151&Info=1&bcr=1

The deadline for the submission of public questions is midday 3 clear working days before the meeting – Tuesday 17 March 2026.

The deadline for the submission of a statement is midday the working day before the meeting – Friday 20 March 2026.

The deadline for the submission of a petition is 10 working days before the meeting.

There were no public issues submitted for this meeting.

The Board is invited to discuss this issue following information gathering work conducted by the Board rapporteurs and input from interested parties before considering potential recommendations the Board wishes to make.

The Chair introduced this item and outlined the format for discussion. The Chair initially invited the O&S Board Member rapporteurs to address the Board and outline their findings. They reported on a number of issues including:

·       Driver behaviour around schools had deteriorated over time. Increased vehicle numbers and parental time pressures were considered contributing factors.

·       Hazardous environments have been created due to dangerous or inconsiderate parking including blocking access, parking on zigzags, pavement parking and stopping in unsuitable locations.Education was considered essential as many drivers appeared not to understand parking restrictions.

·       The imminent pavement?parking ban was noted.

·       School Streets schemes had proven highly effective where implemented.

·       Issues were also compounded by differing enforcement powers between civil enforcement and police, making responsibilities unclear to parents, schools and councillors.

Following the update from the rapporteurs a Head Teacher provided detailed insight into persistent and long?standing parking issues that have worsened since the pandemic. It was reported that the school’s two entrances intensified the challenge. Problems included illegal parking, blocked access for residents and emergency vehicles, confrontations between adults, damage to verges and idling engines. The Head Teacher emphasised strained relationships with residents and the significant burden imposed on school staff. The Head Teacher advised that additional road markings, particularly zigzags at the second entrance, would be beneficial. Enforcement presence was infrequent and did not effectively deter parents. Volunteering for School Streets had been unsuccessful due to low engagement. The Board then heard from a representative from the local bus operator who outlined the impact of inconsiderate parking on bus reliability, journey times and safe access to bus stops. It was reported that poor parking outside school zones often displaced problems onto bus routes. Reduced pupil bus use since the pandemic was noted. Bus travel was recognised as part of the long?term solution, dependent on funding and appropriate routing. The Chair thanked those attending for sharing their experiences with the Board.

Cabinet Portfolio Holders highlighted constraints including limited enforcement staffing and increasing aggression experienced by officers. Budget pressures limited the expansion of the School Streets programme, although it remained a priority. Officers reiterated the importance of the three E’s: Education, Engineering, Enforcement, these were generally prioritised in this order. Officers advised that they could provide geographical and numerical data on penalty notices on request. The Board raised a number of issues in the ensuing discussion including:

·     Unsafe parking behaviour – Concern was raised about unsafe and inconsiderate parking around schools, with it being reported that behaviour had worsened since the COVID?19 pandemic, increasing risks to pupils, disrupting residents and leading to more frequent conflict and aggression.

·     Parking enforcement capacity – The Board queried enforcement coverage at school peak times, and it was explained that limited staffing capacity meant consistent attendance at all schools was not possible, although rotas were being reviewed to improve alignment with drop?off and pick?up periods.

·     Deterrent effect of enforcement – Concern was expressed that current enforcement lacked deterrent impact, and it was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 113.

Response to questions raised by the Key Lines Of Enquiry (KLOE) relating to parking related items across the BCP Council area

The Portfolio Holder for Destination, Leisure and Commercial Operations presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'A' to these Minutes in the Minute Book. The report outlined responses to questions raised by the Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOE) relating to parking related items across the BCP Council area. The Chair reminded members that some matters raised, particularly those relating to people living in vehicles, were within the remit of the Environment and Place Committee. It was emphasised that discussion should remain within the scope of the Board and that comments would inform the emerging parking strategy.

The Democratic Services Officer clarified that although the report referred to matters involving people living in vehicles, the substantive policy work on this was being carried out by the Environment and Place Committee. This included an active survey targeting those living in vehicles to gather further insights. Members were encouraged to signpost individuals to the survey. It was confirmed that the Board’s task was not to set policy on van?life but to note relevant implications for parking strategy.

The Portfolio Holder explained that several acronyms used in parking policy related to the division of responsibilities between the Department for Transport (on?street parking) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (off?street parking). The report responded to key lines of inquiry raised following a motion approved by Council in September 2025.

The Board was informed that:
- Analysis of the large?scale consultation on parking zones had not yet concluded due to competing workload pressures.
- Park and ride viability had been repeatedly reviewed and remained challenging.
- Existing restrictions along parts of the seafront were complex to enforce, particularly where overnight sleeping prohibitions required officers to wake vehicle users.
- Underused land near car parks had been examined but suitable capacity was limited.
- Peak occupancy in summer 2025 reached approximately 72%, demonstrating strain but not full saturation.
- Variable message signage had been used on key routes to guide visitors to available upper?town car parks, though visitors frequently ignored this in favour of navigating directly to the seafront.
- Enhanced PCN rates trialled in August 2025 had been the single most effective measure to influence behaviour.

The Chair of the Environment and Place Committee reported on ongoing work relating to van?life. The issue had first arisen more than 18 months earlier, and the Committee had since sought to approach it sensitively, recognising both cultural and socio?economic dimensions. Engagement with support organisations and community groups continued, with surveys distributed through partners. The importance of avoiding actions that discouraged participation or caused distress to vulnerable groups was emphasised.

A number of different issues were discussed in consideration of this item:

Alignment with Environment and Plance O&S Committee - The need to align forthcoming parking strategy work with Environment and Place’s wider programme was highlighted. Members stressed that parking for travellers, van?lifers and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 114.

The Overview and Scrutiny (O&S) Board is asked to consider and identify work priorities for publication in a Work Plan.

The Vice-Chair presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'C' to these Minutes in the Minute Book. The Vice-Chair updated the Board on a number of matters following the Board’s work planning exercise. The Board reviewed its work plan and confirmed the approach to scheduling topics based on urgency, resource implications and statutory requirements. It was recognised that items may need adjusting as new priorities emerged. The following changes to the work plan were also agreed:

Licensing Item – It was agreed that the previously included licensing work item be removed from the work plan pending further officer advice on its value to scrutiny.

Community Safety Partnership - That the item labelled ‘Local Safeguarding Partnership’ be corrected to ‘Community Safety Partnership’ to reflect the correct terminology.

 
The Board considered a member request relating to lower gardens, covering planning and environmental matters. The Board agreed that such matters should be directed to the relevant officers rather than escalated through scrutiny, as answers could be obtained directly.

The meeting concluded with agreement on the revised work plan and the next steps for topic scoping.

RESOLVED – That the proposed work plan be agreed subject to the amendments suggested above.