IAC/TM/DF1

18 August 2009

Mr Neil Houston

Dear Mr Neil Houston

Request for Information

Parking Ticket Data

Thank you for your request for information dated 1 August 2009 (received by the Council on
the same day) which has been passed to me for attention. I note the clarification regarding transferring part of the request to Tayside Police which was confirmed to you on 4 August 2009.

You have requested documents regarding the following information:

I would like to request the raw data set of parking tickets issued in the name of the council within the last five year period broken down by: date, time, location, narrative of infraction, current status of case, next status of case, transaction details (ie. date, time and method of payments made), officer ID

The information you have requested is maintained within a Microsoft Access database and the relevant information has been extracted into the attached Microsoft Excel spreadsheets for the last 5 full financial years (i.e. 2004/05 to 2008/09) along with this year to date 2009/10.

The information provided is the raw data but is the only information recorded by the council and does not necessarily correspond to the break down of areas that you have requested. For instance we do not hold details on method of payment.

I would advise that I am unable to provide you with the details of individual registration numbers of the vehicles involved as this information is exempt from release under Section 38 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. I have removed this information from the spreadsheets. We are unable to release personal information about another individual where this would breach the Data Protection Act 1998.

The offence is noted as “article” on the spreadsheet and refers to the Angus Council (Off-Street Car Parks) Order 1998 which are:

4a) Class of vehicle

4 c) Semi-Trailers or Heavy Trailers

4 d) Parking for more than 72 hours

6 (1) a) Parking for up to one hour longer than the short stay period

6 (1) b) Parking for more than one hour longer than the short stay period

9 Taking a vehicle from a short stay car park and returning within 2 hours

10 (1) Parked outwith the limits of a marked parking bay

10 (2) Parking of a Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) outwith bays

10 (3) Parking in an area reserved for Heavy Vehicles

10 (4) Unauthorised parking in a disabled persons parking bay

15 i) Sales of vehicles

15 ii) Trading

15 iii) Canvassing for political or electioneering purposes

15 iv) Transfer goods for trade

15 v) Cleaning or washing

15 vi) Repairs to vehicle

21 Sleeping, camping, cooking.

I note that the information provided is limited to the public car parks operated by the Roads Division and does not include any on-street car parking. Details of the off street cars parks can be found at:

http://www.angus.gov.uk/services/View_Service_Detail.cfm?serviceid=1184

On-street and off-street car parking in Angus is free of charge.

I would also like to request any information to 'reward'/bonus schemes/contracts in place for your parking enforcement officers. This is envisaged to cover the details of any systems, including (where bonuses are paid) the amount per officer per year, for the last five years.

There are no 'reward'/bonus schemes/contracts in place for our officers who are responsible for parking enforcement.

I hope this is of assistance to you. Please refer to the attached Appendix which explains your right to complain if you are unhappy with the council's decision on this matter. If you have any queries, please e-mail [email address].

Yours sincerely

Ian Cochrane

Senior Service Manager

Enc

APPENDIX

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002

YOUR RIGHT TO COMPLAIN

Your Right to Complain to the Council

If you are dissatisfied with the way in which Angus Council has dealt with your request for information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (the Act), you have a right to ask the Council to review its actions and/or decisions regarding your request. If you wish to do this, you should make your request to the Head of Law and Administration, Angus Council, Angus House, Orchardbank Business Park, Forfar DD8 1AN, or e-mail [Angus Council request email] within 40 working days.

Your request must:

be in a recordable format (letter, e-mail, audio tape etc);
give your name and address for correspondence;
give details of the information which you originally requested from the Council; and
give the reasons why you are dissatisfied with the way in which your application for information has been dealt with.

Your application for review will then be considered by the Council's Review Panel. The Review Panel will write to you informing you of its decision not later than 20 working days after receipt of your request for a review. The Review Panel will also provide you with a statement of its reasons for arriving at the decision it has made.

Your Right to Complain to the Scottish Information Commissioner:

If you are dissatisfied with a decision of the Council's Review Panel (or where the Review Panel has not provided you with a response), you have the right to apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner for a decision as to whether your request for information has been dealt with by the Council in accordance with the Act.

Your application to the Scottish Information Commissioner must:

be made within 6 months of receipt of the decision of the Council's Review Panel (or within 6 months of the date that the Review Panel should have responded);
be in a recordable format (letter, e-mail, audio tape etc);
give your name and address for correspondence.
give details of the request for information which you originally requested from the Council;
give details of why you were dissatisfied with the Council's response to your original request;
give details of why you were dissatisfied with the decision of the Council's Review Panel.

The Scottish Information Commissioner can be contacted at:-

Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9BS; Telephone - 01334 464610; Fax -01334 464611; Email - [email address])