District: Braintree

Christmas Operational Update

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We are currently operating our services on a ‘business as usual’ basis, taking into account the pre-planned festive disruptions. We acknowledge that parts of Essex are currently in Tier 4 whereas others are, as things stand, in Tier 2.

Civil Enforcement Officer patrols are continuing in all NEPP districts, both on and off-street and resident permit schemes are operating as usual. Resident permits and visitor permits must therefore be used at all times, including where signage does not state ‘except bank holidays’.

Our business unit, including our customer services, are operating on a planned reduced service as is the case each year. Telephone lines will therefore only be open on Wednesday 30th and Thursday 31st December for customer queries before returning to normal operations on the 4th January 2021.

MiPermit will operate as normal throughout the festive period however their telephone lines will not be in operation until the 4th January. All other MiPermit services – including their app, website and SMS services – will operate in the usual way.

However in light of the tiered restrictions the Government is constantly reviewing, we will review all NEPP operations on the 4th January 2021 and provide further updates should additional operational measures need to be taken. Until this time, no further changes to our services are planned.

Parking charges suspended for key NHS workers

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PARKING charges have been suspended for critical health and social care workers.

Following an agreement with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP) has suspended charges for key NHS workers.

The plan means NHS staff will not have to pay to park in council car parks or at the roadside whilst carrying out their frontline duties.

NEPP also plans to waive any fines received by health and social care workers while carrying out their duties over recent days.

Workers are encouraged and will be supported to appeal the fines, with supporting evidence from their employer.

Free parking will be in place until further notice.

Robert Mitchell, chair of NEPP, said: “Critical workers are doing vital and highly valued work, day and night, to support the most vulnerable in our society, save lives and keep our country running through this unprecedented crisis.

“The NEPP welcomes its role in helping key workers get to work – enabling them to park in on-street bays or council-owned car parks without having to worry about cost or time restrictions.

Click here to find out more about how NEPP responded to the Covid-19 pandemic

Patrol Update

We have been regularly reviewing our levels of enforcement since the imposition of the Government’s Covid-19 measures back in March 2020. All our patrols are being carried out as normal, however we have now suspended the enforcement of ALL single yellow line restrictions following a further review on the 19th March 2021. 

All other restrictions, including those within residential permit areas and car parks, are being enforced as usual. 

It is important to note that the single yellow line restrictions do still apply and that where any obstruction may occur, both NEPP and the Police may enforce accordingly.

Social distancing and other precautionary measures will always be practiced by our officers in line with Government guidance. Where necessary, postal PCNs may need to be issued for us to operate as safely as possible.

It is important we carry out patrols to ensure roads are safe and clear for all users – particularly emergency services, deliveries, waste and recycling collection vehicles and outside schools. We would ask motorists to be mindful of this and continue to park considerately, legally and safely to ensure the roads remain accessible and safe.

Patrol and Enforcement Update

We have been regularly reviewing our levels of enforcement since the Government’s Covid-19 measures were first introduced in March 2020.

On 8 March 2021, all of our patrols returned to normal, however we suspended the enforcement of all single yellow lines restrictions to allow more flexibility for residents working from home. All other restrictions, including those within residential permit areas and car parks, were being enforced as usual.

In line with the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown and as restrictions ease and travel increases, from 17 May 2021, we will be patrolling and enforcing all parking and waiting restrictions, including single yellow lines.

In line with Government guidance, social distancing and other precautionary measures will always be practised by our officers. Where necessary, postal PCNs may need to be issued for us to operate as safely as possible.

It is important we carry out patrols to ensure roads are safe and clear for all users – particularly emergency services, deliveries, waste and recycling collection vehicles and outside schools. We ask motorists to be mindful of this and continue to park considerately, legally and safely to ensure the roads remain accessible and safe.

Key Worker Permit Update

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We have reviewed the NHS and Key Worker permit scheme that has been in place since March 2020.

In light of lock-down measures easing and with Government guidance encouraging employees to return to their workplaces where possible, we have made the decision to end the current permit scheme and replace it with a new scheme specifically for NHS Key Workers. This will align our scheme with the pre-existing Government permit, details of which can be found here.

All current permit holders have been contacted to provide further details on this decision and for how to apply for the new NHS specific scheme.

We would like to thank all Key Workers for their continued dedication to the national response to the pandemic and we are pleased that our temporary scheme has been so popular over what has been and continues to be, a difficult time.