"Pickles warns rogue firms"

bazster

What's really bizarre about all this is that the PM felt he had to move responsibility to another department instead of simply telling the Department for Transport to fix it.

Is it conceivable that the DfT is so irredeemably corrupt it even gave a two-fingered salute to the PM's office?

bazster

Predictable Monday Mendacity from the BPA, which looks forward to "working with the Department for Communities and Local Government":

http://www.britishparking.co.uk/Blog/monday-musing-will-the-machinery-deliver-real-change/773

Given that the BPA only last week described Pickles as bitter and twisted, I doubt the desire for co-operation is mutual.

Umkomaas

bazster wrote: »

Predictable Monday Mendacity from the BPA, which looks forward to "working with the Department for Communities and Local Government":

http://www.britishparking.co.uk/Blog/monday-musing-will-the-machinery-deliver-real-change/773

Given that the BPA only last week described Pickles as bitter and twisted, I doubt the desire for co-operation is mutual.

.......we look forward to working the DCLG to put the right mechanism in place to drive out rogue operators,

A BPA euphemism for 'last man close the door after they leave the building' ...... possibly?

Or has 'with' been deliberately omitted.?

we look forward to working (with) the DCLG

salmosalaris

Perhaps Mr Pickles should be made aware of the failure of the BPA Ltd , deliberate or otherwise , to exert any control over its wayward members .

Coupon-mad

The BMPA (British Motorists Protection Association) needs to write to the DCLG to put the other side of the story to counteract the BPA getting in with their spiel. No doubt the BPA will be keen to find someone in the Dept to 'get onside'. The BPA's version of lobbying is to get what the PPCs want, of course, and if Govt Dept mistake them for a regulator or 'expert Trade Body' then sobeit.

One of the worst examples of BPA 'lobbying', apart from Schedule 4, was when they changed the Dept For Transport's stated plans about Motorway Services parking charges, where the published intention in a report I saw (too late) was NOT to penalise and to let people have time afterwards, to pay the 'overstay' £10 tariff if they overlooked it/were unaware of it. The original report was actually scathing about punitive charges for tired motorists! That disappeared completely in the final version of the official report on MSA parking restrictions, coincidentally this was after the BPA got their hands on the report and 'commented' and 'lobbied' and we now have the repercussions - PE and CP Plus bleeding the sites dry.

What's the betting there is already serious BPA-style lobbying going on to convince the Govt (or new Govt) to do a U turn about Hospital or NHS site parking charges...to make them forget what was announced by the Health Secretary. They'll be pointing to their BPA 'NHS Parking Charter' and saying that's enough - NO IT IS NOT! That's all about being able to issue punitive charges at Hospitals whilst paying lip service to best practice to give it all a veneer of reasonableness.

And although Councils have been made to dump the smart cars, we know the BPA will be whining about why their AOS members 'should' stil be allowed to use them and other spy cameras for 'security in Airports' and other such drivel which simply is not true.

trisontana

I think there was also a proposal to allow free overnight parking in motorway service areas.That seems to have died a death. I wonder if that was also killed by BPA lobbying?

ManxRed

.......we look forward to working the DCLG to put the right mechanism in place to drive out rogue operators,

If that actually happens they won't have any members left.

bazster

ManxRed wrote: »

If that actually happens they won't have any members left.

I love how they are still banging on about how anyone can set up as a parking parasite without being a member of anything. True, but so what? The parasites currently operating outwith an ATA can be counted on the fingers of one hand, and they are all pathetic little one-man-bands. 99.9% of the racketeering and extortion occurs beneath an ATA umbrella - and most of it under the BPA umbrella.

Coupon-mad

trisontana wrote: »

I think there was also a proposal to allow free overnight parking in motorway service areas.That seems to have died a death. I wonder if that was also killed by BPA lobbying?

No other reason to have quashed such a proposal so I know where my money would be.

Castle

salmosalaris wrote: »

Perhaps Mr Pickles should be made aware of the failure of the BPA Ltd , deliberate or otherwise , to exert any control over its wayward members .

Not just the BPA, the IPC needs highlighting as well!