They're paid to book you!

Milton Keynes Today
richard.cooper@mkcitizen.co.uk

PARKING attendants in Milton Keynes ARE rewarded for issuing the most penalty notices.

Despite repeated denials since the introduction of widespread pay parking in the city, the Tuesday Citizen can reveal an incentive scheme introduced by Vinci Park, Milton Keynes Council's parking contractor.

According to documents seen by the Citizen, a parking attendant is awarded one point for every ticket he or she issues.

In addition, they will receive 10 points for being in work on time every day; 100 points for having no errors issuing penalties and 100 points for no days off sick a month.Points are also deducted for lateness, unauthorised leave and penalty notice errors.

It is understood the top attendant each month receives a £20 bonus.A chart also seen by the Citizen shows the top attendant, apparently in one week, notched up 299 points.

Another document shows a graph with Vinci Park's daily targets and the total number of parking tickets issued – against "the expected level of performance".

Last year more than 46,000 penalty notices were issued.

City transport boss Cllr Graham Mabbutt said the suggestion of 'league tables' was news to him.

"It is not the council policy to have incentives for parking tickets and the council does not have a target for Vinci to reach in terms of the number of tickets issued."

Edmund King of motorists' lobby group The RAC Foundation said: "Financial incentives actually lead to more abuse of the system with more tickets issued incorrectly."Our general view is that parking regulation should be based on general compliance and not on the number of tickets. The number of tickets issued is not an indication the parking regime is working well."

He added the system puts pressure on the attendants to issue more tickets and can lead to more confrontation with motorists.

However, he added: "I would not like to comment on their internal mechanism for operating."

A spokesman for Vinci Park said the scheme is being trialled in Milton Keynes from this month and aims to reward employees "for their work in the community and the quality of their work".

He added: "A parking attendant is not just there to issue parking tickets and we have recognised this by introducing a system based on aspects such as punctuality and low absenteeism, which will benefit the public through providing a better service in Milton Keynes."