Council takes parking enforcement in-house after high number of complaints

28 March 2025 Ruby Gregory, Local Democracy Reporter

Parking complaints are among the top three most common complaints from council house residents, prompting Tower Hamlets Council to take over parking enforcement.

Tower Hamlets Council will take over parking enforcement services for its housing estates following Cabinet approval on 26 March.

The Council will bring the service in-house following a ‘high level’ of resident complaints regarding nuisance and abandoned vehicles. The Council’s current contract with NSL, the UK’s largest provider of parking enforcement services, is due to expire 30 April 2025.

According to a Cabinet report, concerns had been raised over NSL’s performance after parking was found to be one of the top three most complained about issues from council housing residents.

During last night’s Cabinet meeting, Shafi Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Environment and the Climate Emergency, said: ‘Obviously, resident satisfaction is important. We know the contract with NSL has been underperforming.

‘I think going forward, bringing [the service] in-house, we’ll be able to set up KPIs [Key Performance Indicators] and [we’ll] manage that in a way that we prefer to manage it with residents’ satisfaction in mind.’

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has contacted Marston Holdings, which manages NSL, for comment.

The in-house service will include a removals service for nuisance and abandoned vehicles, the provision of a removal truck for persistent evaders and 10 dedicated pound spaces. The council hopes a more effective enforcement and removals service will help deter people from parking illegally on housing estates, including vehicles using the ‘commission’ of other crimes such as drug dealing and antisocial behaviour.

The council also hopes it will be easier for emergency vehicles and refuse trucks needing access to estates, and ensure residents and permit holders have a place to park closer to home.

Bringing the service in-house will also save the council money, as it’s expected to cost just over £339,000 for 2025/26, whereas an outsourced contract has been estimated to cost around £470,000.

Cabinet members proceeded to agree to the recommendations set out in the report. The council will be taking over the management and enforcement of 5,200 parking spaces across the borough as a result.

If you liked this, read Tower Hamlets Council passes budget with 4.99 per cent council tax rise

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