NSL up for sale ...but what's it worth?

Car clampers coin it
Ben Marlow
The Sunday Times
May 30, 2010

Clamping cars and handing out parking tickets is about to pay off handsomely for the owners of NSL Services, a company that has been put up for auction for about £130m. NSL is being sold by 3i, the private equity firm. Senior managers have a small stake in the business. It clamps cars and issues tickets for council and private-sector clients, including Arsenal football club, where it manages parking around the Emirates Stadium.

The company was originally part of National Car Parks, for which 3i paid £555m in 2005. Two years later, the buyout firm split the company and sold the larger off-street car parks business to Australia’s Macquarie Bank for £790m, retaining NSL. The deal upset the trade unions, which accused 3i of asset-stripping the business.

The private equity firm also tried to sell NSL separately but pulled the deal because it couldn’t get the price it wanted. Several rivals were interested at the time, including Mitie, the outsourcing company, and Apcoa, Britain’s biggest provider of car parks and parking enforcement services.

NSL Services has deals with about 60 councils, including Westminster, as well as Heathrow and Gatwick airports, and sporting venues such as Twickenham and Murrayfield. Alongside the traffic-wardens business, NSL operates six London bus routes and runs a debt-recovery arm. It also has a network of CCTV cameras.

Hawkpoint, the corporate- finance boutique, has been appointed to find a buyer. NSL’s most recent accounts, for the year ending 2008, show it had accrued losses of £23m on turnover of £148m.

Investigation into Westminster's parking contract must leave no stone unturned ...

There needs to be a full, transparent investigation into the Westminster parking contract, leaving no stone unturned.


Parking enforcement and all issues surrounding it need to be addressed as a matter of urgency by the new Government otherwise the stealth tax stigma will be an albatross around their neck.

Parking enforcement needs to be perceived to be fair, proportionate and lawful and then perhaps it will gain the respect of Britain's motorists.

Check out the Motorists Manifesto for the Reform of Parking and Traffic Enforcement.

Revealed: ‘fiasco’ of Westminster’s parking contract
Lucy Tobin
14.05.10


If any of London's newly-elected councillors want a lesson in how not to run a contract-bidding process, they might like to take a field trip to Westminster.
The Conservative-run council has spent six months and more than £1 million trying to award a £50 million parking contract. After a long-running process that saw Westminster award the contract to a new firm, revoke the appointment, fight a law suit, and re-open the expensive tendering process for a second time, the Evening Standard can reveal it has now decided to stick with its incumbent parking company.

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Labour leader in Westminster, today called for heads to roll over what he termed a “very unsatisfactory and expensive fiasco”.

The long-running process began at the end of last year when the council launched a procurement process for bidders to apply to run its parking contract. Then in February Westminster named Mouchel, the FTSE-listed support services group, as its preferred bidder for the four-year contract to provide parking enforcement services for the borough.

Mouchel then happily told shareholders at its half-year update in February: “It has been confirmed that we have been appointed as preferred bidder in Westminster, the largest on-street parking enforcement and city management service contract in Europe. The commission is for a four-year period (extendable to six).”

But not so fast, Mouchel. That was just the start of a near-farcical process which is said to have cost local taxpayers £1.1 million and has been branded “totally unprecedented” by perplexed contractors.

After naming the firm as its top choice, Westminster then admitted it had botched part of the procurement procedure. In-house lawyers discovered “a flaw in the contract document” which meant the council had to re-open the bidding. That admission then sparked complaints from one of the bidders, Apcoa of the US, one of the world's biggest parking enforcement companies.

Westminster then ran the entire tender again but with a new clause that effectively excluded Apcoa from bidding. Enraged, Apcoa launched a legal action to get the decision overturned but recently lost the case.

Now the Evening Standard has discovered that Mouchel has been stripped of its preferred status, with Westminster instead awarding that status to NSL, the parking giant formerly known as NCP, which has been operating the contract for the past seven years.
Mouchel insiders said they were furious at the action and may appeal. Apcoa is also expected to protest.

The preferred bidder status means NSL could be re-awarded the deal as early as next week.

Labour leader Dimoldenberg said: “This whole process has cost the council over £1.1 million. Now we find the original contractor has got the job. It's a ridiculous, crazy situation. Residents and motorists are entitled to a full explanation over this mismanaged parking contract. Somebody at Westminster needs to take personal responsibility for this very unsatisfactory and expensive fiasco which has revealed very serious failures.”

Campaigners called for an official inquiry into how the contract was awarded. Graham Jones, spokesman for the campaign group No to the Bike Parking Tax, said: “Westminster awarded the contract to Mouchel, then faced a legal challenge which was thrown out of court, so why did it not stick with its original decision? This scandal requires a council inquiry.”

Kevin Goad, Westminster council's head of commissioning, said: “Following the discovery of a flaw in the initial contract process we stopped the procurement exercise. This was to ensure we were being fair and transparent to all those involved in the process which was the right and legal course of action to take. This week, the council has named a preferred bidder for its new parking enforcement contract. We are currently in a ten-day standstill period and expect to sign the formal contract with them later this month.
“Any additional costs incurred through this process will be recovered many times over through substantial savings with the new contract.”

Tim Cowen of NSL commented: “We have noted the announcement that we are preferred bidder but would not wish to comment further because of the legal 10-day standstill period.”
An insider in the parking enforcement industry stalwart said he “couldn't record a process quite like this ever before”. He added: “We're now in tthe standstill period, when it would normally be very, very unusual for a challenge to crop up, but the rest of this case has been unprecedented, so who knows?”

The £50 million contract covers monitoring and maintenance of CCTV cameras to pick up illegal U-turns, illegal driving in box junctions and other parking offences. It also pays for the 100 or so parking attendants patrolling the streets of Westminster.

Danny Chalkley, Westminster's cabinet member for city management, did not respond to calls.

Law enforcement on the streets of Britain today ...

While we watch large scale X Factor style political debate with popularity being decided not on policy but on body language and presentation the clip and story below shows how real people are affected by the failings of politicians. Privatising law enforcement on the streets of Britain and a failure by politicians and council officers to accept any responsibility has led to the need for campaign groups and individuals to stand up and expose this.

Please support The Motorists Legal Challenge Fund.


Traffic warden faces the sack after foul rant about motorcyclist’s wife

Evening Standard
Felix Allen
19.04.10

A traffic warden faces the sack after his foul-mouthed rant at a motorcyclist was caught on video.
The Westminster council parking attendant is seen shouting at Warren Djangoly and making obscene comments about his wife during a confrontation in the West End.
Mr Djangoly, a management consulant from Barnes, said the abuse was “totally unprovoked”.

The warden, who has not been named, has been suspended after a video of the abuse, filmed by another biker, was posted on YouTube.

The recording shows the warden appearing agitated at being photographed, and saying: “Don't be taking my picture,” before he snaps at Mr Djanogly: “Go and give that to your wife because I'll be f***ing her soon.”
He repeats the comment as he turns his back and walks away.


Mr Djanogly, 46, said it was effectively a “threat of rape”, which he said was particularly alarming as private parking contractors have access to the DVLA database, including motorists' home addresses.

He told the Standard: “I was shocked when he swore at me but I didn't realise exactly what he said until I saw the video. It's really quite appalling. It was also totally unprovoked.
"I only said to him not to bother giving me a ticket because I was going, and he got all aggressive, saying don't tell me what to do'.
“What came out of his mouth next was astonishing and absolutely outrageous. It's very concerning when someone says that to you, and it was really quite traumatising because there's the worry that these people have access to our records.”

He said he has spoken to the police about the incident in New Cavendish Street this month, but is not sure whether to make a formal complaint.
He is also demanding a full apology from Westminster council and its parking enforcement contractor NSL Services, which employs the warden.

Dr Leith Penny, Westminster's strategic director of city management, said: “Our parking attendants do a difficult and challenging job. However, Westminster council demands the highest standards from its parking staff and we do not tolerate this kind of behaviour which is clearly unacceptable.”

NSL spokesman Tim Cowen said the warden's language was “shocking” and an investigation had been launched.
He added: “The civil enforcement officer in question has been removed from the Westminster operation and suspended while that investigation takes place.
"Behaviour like this is not acceptable and would usually result in dismissal if the case is proven.”

Westminster's wardens to issue warnings ... want to watch a warning in action?

Westminster announce that as from April drivers could receive a warning instead of an automatic fine ... it is reported here by the BBC.



Want to see the 'softer' approach and the 'verbal' warning this Civil Enforcement Officer issued to one motorist?

I think it is about time that a full, public inquiry was launched into this company and its practices. The British motoring public have had enough ... http://www.motoristslegalchallenge.co.uk/

This company has access to the DVLA data base and therefore potentially the home address of the motorist whose wife was threatened. A little point for the politicians to ponder when they begin to consider the real implications of allowing the privatisation of law enforcement and taking it away from real accountability.

This is the beginning of the end of not so civil parking enforcement. We have had enough!