Carmarthenshire County Council has prepared the following policy guidance in respect of Civil Parking Enforcement.

The policies in this document are intended to inform the public and provide guidance to council employees working in the enforcement of parking regulations.

This is consistent with current best practice and aims to provide clarity, consistency and transparency within the enforcement process and compliance with the aspirations of the National Parking Adjudication Service and the Local Government Ombudsman.

What is important about these policies is that they represent a foundation upon which fairness and discretion can be applied.

The importance of flexibility in these matters has been recognised by the courts and, as a consequence, decisions made by councils must not be fettered by being unduly formulaic.

The policies address the following:

• Observation times for enforcement staff
• The statutory grounds upon which representations may be made
• Mitigating circumstances
• The acceptance or rejection of challenges and representations

It is important to recognise that each case will be considered on its own merits, matters of proportionality, objectivity, fairness and reasonableness should be paramount.

These policies will be subject to ongoing review.