Hounslow Council Appoints New Parking Provider
NSL to take over contract terminated by SERCO
A new provider will start enforcement at the beginning of December
November 28, 2023
Hounslow Council has announced that it has signed a contract with NSL to take over parking services in the borough from 1 December.
The move became necessary after it was informed by the current provider SERCO of its intention to terminate a five-year contract prematurely. SERCO has been pulling out of parking related activities across the country.
Failure to appoint a new provider would have meant that parking restrictions would have gone unenforced, but NSL has committed to ensure there is no disruption to services.
The company will be taking over all parking activities including enforcement, payment for parking, issuing of permits and Blue Badges.
The agreement with NSL runs until December 2025 after which the council says it will ‘consider all available options and providers’.
Like SERCO, NSL has been hit by strike action by enforcement officers in London boroughs this year including in Kensington & Chelsea, Westminster and Camden. NSL staff in Westminster called strike action on the day of the King’s Coronation and in Kensington & Chelsea the company eventually agreed to increase its hourly rate from £11.95 to £13.50 whereas in Camden pay went up from £12.70 to £15 at the end of the dispute.
The annual value of the Hounslow contract was £3.6 million and has previously brought in an income surplus of over £1 million.
Existing bases for enforcement officers in Chiswick Town Hall and Bridge Road are being made available to employees of the new provider.
Councillor Salman Shaheen, Cabinet Member for Recreation, Public Spaces and Parking, said, “I am pleased that we have been able to move swiftly on securing a new provider and look forward to working with NSL over the next two years.
“As a council we always put our residents first and wanted to ensure there is no disruption to services whilst getting on board a new provider to deliver this very important service.”
Ras Dewan, Account Director, for NSL said, “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Hounslow Council to deliver parking enforcement services for the next two years. Residents should see no disruption to services as we mobilise the contract, and we are committed to providing a high-quality service to ensure Hounslow’s roads and communities are kept safe for all.”
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