Parking – who is responsible for what?

• Parking on Watford Community Housing-managed land
  We oversee parking arrangements on our own estates, including:
  • the use of parking permits at our schemes
  • working with management companies for estate or private land parking controls
  • managing access solutions, such as barriers, on our land
  • removing abandoned or SORN vehicles on our land 
• Electric vehicle (EV) charging arrangements located on a Watford Community Housing-managed property
• Communication and service standards
  We outline what residents can expect from us, including responsibilities related to the home and communal areas (parking is mentioned in general guidance documents) 
• Working collaboratively with councils
  We work with Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) and Watford Borough Council (WBC) to help improve local amenities, which can include parking-related matters on or near our estates

• Parking enforcement
  They enforce all on-street and off-street parking restrictions under civil parking enforcement arrangements. This includes:
  • issuing Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs)
  • enforcing controlled parking zones (CPZs), yellow lines, loading restrictions, suspensions and dispensations
• Parking permits and visitor vouchers
  Residents apply to Watford Borough Council for:
  • resident permits
  • visitor vouchers
  • new parking schemes and consultations
• Managing public car parks and parking bays in the borough
   Including operations and amendments to off-street parking orders

• Dropped kerb enforcement
  They handle enforcement activity around dropped kerbs as part of parking services
• Civil enforcement expanded from police
  Since 2007, Watford Borough Council’s civil enforcement powers cover both on-street and off-street parking contraventions in Watford

• The public highway
  • keeping the highway safe for all road users
  • ensuring the public’s right to pass and repass — preventing obstruction of the highway
• Licensing and enforcement on the highway
  • licensing of skips, scaffolding, A‑boards, street cafés, temporary/fixed signs
  • enforcement related to ensuring the highway is not blocked
• Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs)
  Powers for implementing parking controls for safety reasons on public highways remain with HCC (often enforced by district councils)
• Maintenance of roads and pavements
  They manage repairs, road closures, and defect responses

• District/borough councils’ role (linked)
  They note that on-street parking schemes and enforcement are carried out by district and borough councils under agency agreements

Under modern arrangements:

• Most parking enforcement is now civil, carried out by Watford Borough Council — not the police. The transfer from police to civil enforcement in Watford occurred under decriminalised parking enforcement orders

The police may still act when parking issues involve:

• Obstruction of the highway (criminal offence)
• Dangerous parking
• Vehicle-related crime (e.g. theft or anti-social behaviour)

However, routine parking enforcement such as double yellow lines and CPZ rules is not police-led.