Off the streets

Sunderland Echo
Tuesday 21 November 2006
By Ross Robertson



















Five city parking enforcers have been sacked after a damning TV documentary exposed racism and corruption.
Under-fire private contractors NCP dismissed the five, including one supervisor, after their shocking antics were captured in an undercover sting.
The documentary, originally shown in the North East in September, showed parking attendants making racist remarks and mocking disabled drivers.
They were also captured telling an undercover reporter that they had 'tortured' drivers on Villette Road and caused criminal damage to vehicles.
Following the BBC's Inside Out programme a number of attendants were suspended.
But National Car Parks announced the dismissals last night just as the programme was being screened across the country for the first time.
A number of other parking attendants are also believed to be still suspended and other senior members of staff are under investigation.
The TV sting led to demands from opposition councillors to terminat NCP's contract with Sunderland Council to run the city's parking regime and calls for Coun Joe Lawson, who holds responsibility for parking, to resign.
The dismissal of the attendants comes ahead of a cabinet meeting tomorrow where senior councillors from the ruling Labour Group will decide on whether to terminate NCP's contract.
Tory leader Coun Lee Martin said the sacking of the attendants was not enough to make up for the failings.
He said the council must take steps to show the racist behaviour shown in the documentary will not be tolerated.
Parking protester Neil Herron, who is battling with Sunderland Council in a bid to expose failings in the parking system, said "heads should roll" at the council.
He said: "It isn't just parking attendants who are responsible for the shambles - heads should roll with the council and heads should roll from the councillors whose responsibility it was to oversee the contract."
Time Cowen, of NCP, said: "All the issues regarding disciplinary matters raised in the Inside Out documentary have been investigated.
"A number of staff involved in the TV programme have been dismissed."

ECHO COMMENT
Warden problem must be solved
There are few would protest at the sacking of five parking attendants exposed by a TV documentary team.
Anyone who witnessed the offensive antics of the NCP workers caught on camera could not help but be shocked and appalled.
Wardens were shown making racist comments, mocking disabled people as well as admitting causing criminal damage to vehicles.
It was obvious heads would have to roll. And this will not be the end of the matter. It is understood other attendants have been suspended and managers are under investigation.
The council's cabinet meets tomorrow to decide if the NCP's contract is to be terminated.
There will have to be strong evidence to show the shortfalls in management that allowed this behaviour to happen, have been tackled. Without it, the NCP contract should be torn up.