FOI request (FOIR-670010344)

Parking management

Requested Thu 12 December 2024
Responded Thu 20 February 2025

Response

The name, job title, and contact details for the person responsible for car parking management.

Answer:

Natasha Tewkesbury

Head of Community and Regulatory Services

Email: ntewkesbury@hastings.gov.uk

· The name, job title, and contact details for the person responsible for procuring the external providers (if any) which manage car parking for your authority.

Answer: As per above

· On which of your sites do you own or operate car parks?

Answer: Please list. As per https://www.hastings.gov.uk/parking/carparks/ but listed as The Bourne Car Park Carlisle Parade Car Park Castle Hill Road Car Park Crystal Square Car Park Falaise Hall Car Park Falaise Road Car Park Hastings Country Park Marina Car Park Pelham Place Car Park The Pier Car Park Priory Street Multi Storey Car Park Rock a Nore Car Park St Margaret's Road Car Park Summerfields Car Park Grosvenor Gardens Car Park Horntye Car Park Grand Parade Car Park (Permit only) Bourne Residents Car Park (Permit only) High Street Residents Car Park (Permit only) Russell Street Car Park (Permit only)

· In which of these car parks are cashless parking solutions used? Please list.

Answer: All of them

· For those car parks with cashless parking - what solutions are currently being used (pay by phone, pay by app, on-line, space booking etc.)? Please state for each car park. Pay by phone / app via RingGo For those car parks without cashless parking, are you considering changing this? Yes/No

Answer: Not applicable.

Additionally... If you do already have cashless parking:

· Do any external companies provide your cashless parking solution(s)? Yes/No

Answer: Yes

· If yes - for each, please state the company name, the value(s) of the current contract(s), the start and end dates of the current contract(s), if there are any extensions in place or planned to these contract(s) and the length of these extensions.

Answer: RingGo Limited Commence 1 September 2024, terminate on 31 August 2027 with optional extension of further 12 months. 

NOTICE OF REFUSAL

The information you have requested in terms of the value of the contract is commercially sensitive and falls under Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act – Commercially Sensitive Information

Information prejudicing commercial interests – commercial interest relating to an organisations commercial activity and may include trading activity procurement and relationships with third parties.

The exemption afforded by Section 43 is subject to what is known as the ‘public interest test’.  When applying the test in a particular case a public authority is deciding whether the public interest is better served by non-disclosure than by disclosure. 

Although the Freedom of Information Act does not define ‘in the public interest’, there is a presumption under Freedom of Information that openness is in the public interest.  In applying the public interest test a public authority will take into account the distinction that has been often made by courts between things that are in the public interest, and things that merely interest the public.  Where applicants have not identified public interest considerations succinctly or accurately, the public authority has a responsibility under the Act to make their own assessment of the public interest considerations in the particular case.

We have identified the following public interest factors that may be seen as encouraging the disclosure of information:

a)    accountability of public spending

We consider these factors to be of limited relevance in relation to the information in question.

Public interest factors seen as encouraging non-disclosure are, generally, the exemptions themselves.   In consideration of this matter we came to the following conclusions:

a)   ensuring that companies are able to compete for business fairly

b)   damage to reputation and/or financial interests

In weighing the factors for and against disclosure we have concluded that the likely benefit to the applicant and the wider public of disclosure is outweighed by the likely prejudice caused by such disclosure and that therefore the public interest is better served by non-disclosure. 

For the reasons given above we will not be communicating to you the information you have requested.

· What procurement route(s) did you use to tender for these external providers of cashless parking? (e.g. via a named framework agreement, competitive competition, direct award, extension of existing contract, etc.)

Answer: G-Cloud 13 Framework Agreement

· What is the planned date(s) for re-tender for your contract(s) for external provider(s) of cashless parking?

Answer: Information not held

· How do you plan to procure your next external provider(s) of cashless parking (existing framework, new framework, competitive competition, direct award, extension of existing contract, etc.)? What is the timescale for this? Considering National Parking Platform. If you do not already have cashless parking on some or all of your sites:

· Do you intend to tender for external suppliers to provide this? Yes/No

Answer: N/A

· If yes, please state which sites.

· For the sites above, how do you plan to procure this external provider(s) of cashless parking (existing framework, new framework, competitive competition, direct award, etc.)? What is your likely the timescale for this?

Answer: N/A