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This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'free motorcycle parking in car parks'.

Thierry Muller

[email address]

Westminster Parking Services

Customer Relations

Po Box 396

Warrington

WA55 1EL

Assistant Director of Parking:

Kevin Goad

This matter is being dealt with by:

David Whyte

Date: 3 November 2009

Tel No: (020) 7641 1743

Fax no: (020) 7641 1744

Email: [email address]

My ref: FOI/4470/DW

Dear Mr Muller,

Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000: Request for information

Thank you for your request for information dated 5 October 2009, relating to FOI/4470/DW. I apologise for the delay in our response. You have requested the following information:

  1. Since the Leicester Square car park has been sold to a private company, I would like to know if the council already knew that the car park would be sold to a private company when the decision to make free parking for motorcycles in the same car park was made? In other words, when was the consideration made to sell the car park?

  1. Who in the Council authorized the sale of the car park?

  1. Has the car park been sold on a lease?

  1. How long is the lease?

  1. Was there a premium paid to the Council for the lease?

  1. What is the yearly rent payable to the Council?

  1. Has the Council made a specific request to the company that bought the car park specifying that motorcycles must be allowed to park for free in the sale contract?

  1. How much longer will motorcycles be allowed to park for free in the Leicester Square car parks?

  1. Is there any guarantee that motorcycles will still be able to park for free in the car park?

  1. Are there any plans to sell any more car parks owned by the Council? If so which car parks are for sale?

In response to your request, I can advise you of the following:

  1. At the time the decision was taken to provide free motorcycle spaces no formal agreement had been reached concerning the transfer of the City Council's car parks to a private company. Please note that these car parks were not sold as you suggest but were in fact leased by the Council to Titan Parking.

All car parks are constantly reviewed from an operational and property perspective. It is not possible to specifically advise when consideration was taken as the review and acquisition of, or disposal of the car park, in question, as this has been on going for a number of years.

However, I can advise that a Statement of Decision, concerning the lease of both Witcomb (Leicester Square) and Chiltern Street car parks, was made by the City Council on 19 August 2009. Titan Parking then took control of these car parks on 1 September 2009.

  1. Both the Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources and the Cabinet Member for City Management authorized the lease of the car parks on 19 August 2009.

  1. See question 1.

  1. 5 years.

  1. I can advise that no premium was paid to Westminster City Council for the lease of the car parks.

  1. I can confirm that the information you have requested is held by the City Council. However, it is possible that to provide the information may not be in the public interest. I am currently assessing this.

It is anticipated that this will require an additional 10 working days to process. If this timescale needs to be revised you will be advised as to the reasons and provided with a revised timescale.

I will write to you as soon as possible with the outcome of the assessment.

  1. No specific request was made; however, all current business, resident and electric vehicle season tickets holders have been sent letters with details of the new operators. The new operator will honour existing tickets until they expire. Further information is also available directly from the lessee - Titan Parking. Their telephone number is 020 7534 0834.

  1. This will be entirely up to the new operator - Titian parking.

  1. There are no guarantees that motorcycles will still be able to park for free in the car park.

  1. At present there are no plans for transferring the ownership of any other City Council car parks to private hands.

If you are not satisfied with this response please set out your reasons in writing and send to:

Customer Relations

PO Box 396

Warrington

WA55 1EL

Phone: 0207 641 1743

Fax: 0207 641 1744

Email: [email address]

Should you still be dissatisfied with the outcome of any such complaint you have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner, pursuant to section 50 of the FOIA. The contact details are:

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Telephone: 01625-545-700

www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Yours sincerely

P.P David White

Gordon Deas

Departmental Records Officer