Parking Scotland Expo 2022 Early on, the lack of tariffs incentivised people to buy EVs, but now it needs to be revisited. A new delivery model is needed where consumers bear the cost. Inviting investment from the private sector didnt meet universal approval. For Berry, the ability to provide charging points could offer a funding stream for local authorities. Why are we talking about privatising EV charging when other utilities are being taken back under public control? he asked. Also discussing EV infrastructure was Gordon Manson of the Energy Saving Trust (EST). He explained how the EST is working with organisations to address the climate emergency, and emphasised the need to future-proof infrastructure and ensure accessibility for a population that would include 1.35m Blue Badge holders by 2035. We need to confirm potential future power capacities on site and consider renewable energy solutions to support power demand, he said. We also need to integrate EV charging with a wider sustainable transport system. Handling the abuse Incensed motorists are at the core of some work being carried out by BPA President Jade Neville, Anjna Patel, chair of the BPA Board, and Alison Tooze, BPA chief policy and engagement officer. The initiative focuses on the way frontline staff are sometimes treated by members of the public. Neville, who spent her first few years in parking as a CEO, said she had suffered a lot of verbal abuse when out on patrol. She laughed as she recalled dodging a hurled doughnut, but no-one in the room doubted the seriousness of the abuse suffered by frontline staff. In response to a reported rise in abuses, the BPA has formed a group that will focus on three main areas: conflict avoidance, reporting of incidents and the prosecution process. Research has indicated that there are a huge number of verbal and physical assaults which go unreported or result in no action. If we are to attract a talented workforce then we have to change the narrative, says Patel. We have enormous pride in our work and our staff deserve to be respected. The group is now inviting people from the parking sector to join together to identify and tackle the issues faced by frontline staff. It was a sobering message to end the day, but it was also indicative of the way the parking sector is increasingly stepping out of the silos to work together for a better future. *Hear from Graeme Campbell, senior policy officer, Transport Scotland, in Parking News last month: bit.ly/PNSept22SE View from the top It is clear that we are part of the BPA but there have been times in the past when it has not felt that way. Now we are building an understanding between the BPA and the Scottish Group. They are seeing our perspective and the Scottish members are seeing the bigger picture. It is clearer what we gain from being part of the BPA. Lorna Hogg is parking officer for Aberdeenshire Council and in 2019 she became the chair of the Scotland Parking Group. She is already seeing more integration between the wider BPA and the Scottish Group. More than 100 people were at the Expo but still she would like to see more representatives from local authorities and private parking companies. The other group she is seeking to include in the conversation are those with an interest in parking, including charities such as Living Streets, town planning departments, and the NHS. In my day-to-day role I am doing that already, she says. For example, working towards the regeneration of town centres means I am working with many other entities and I think parking, as a whole, can do better in that respect. We need to engage more and make sure we invite other people to talk with us. Another big issue we have is that some local authorities still do not have decriminalised parking enforcement (DPE) and that is confusing for the public. For example, we have a seaside town that doesnt have on-street DPE powers and during the summer, with a huge increase in visitors, parking was chaotic. The good thing to come from that is that the public want us to do something, the elected councillors want us to do something, so we are coming at it with positive attitudes all round. 20 PN Oct 2022 pp18-21 Scotland expo.indd 20 23/09/2022 11:27 1406_