Howard Court Staff Car Parking Policy

Transcription

1 Howard Court Staff Car Parking Policy (Reference No. HS ) Version: Version 2, January 2016 Version Superseded: Version 1, November 2013 Ratified/ Signed off by: Executive Team Date ratified/ Signed off: 13 th January 2016 Name and designation of Lead Policy Author: Name of responsible Committee / Individual: Name of Executive Lead Date issued: 2 nd February 2016 Diane Brent, Head of Capital Projects, Estates and Facilities Strategy and Resources Committee (SRC)/ Declan O Farrell Phil Bradley, Director of Finance Next Review date: April 2016 Target audience: All Hertfordshire Community Trust (HCT) Staff Howard Court Car Parking Policy, HS V.2 Page 1 of 14

2 Contents 1 Introduction Purpose Scope Charges Payment Options Issuing of Permits Surrender of Permits Parking Enforcement Tickets Use of the Car park by non-permit holders Ownership, Roles and Responsibilities Document Control and archiving arrangements Equality Impact Analyses Appendices... 7 APPENDIX 1: Application to join the Howard Court Staff Car Parking Scheme... 9 APPENDIX 2: Application to withdraw from the parking scheme APPENDIX 3: Application to temporarily withdraw from the parking scheme APPENDIX 4: Version Control Table APPENDIX 5: Equality Impact Analyses Form Howard Court Car Parking Policy, HS V.2 Page 2 of 14

3 1 Introduction The provision and effective management of car parking is an important function if control is to be maintained over car parking spaces at our Trust Headquarters, Howard Court and any other parking areas designated for Trust staff under local agreements. This policy covers the main aspects of operational issues associated with car parking and traffic management within the Trust. The Government has indicated its support for healthy environments through the introduction of well managed transport services that authorise the necessity for authorised motor transport. This has resulted in Local Authorities drawing up Green Travel Plans and tightening controls over traffic volumes and flows and the granting of planning permission for additional/new car parking spaces. These regulations now limit the number of car parking spaces the Trust can offer to support visitors and staff. These moves place a duty upon the Trust to ensure that it has a plan that echoes these themes. This policy attempts to provide adequate car parking at Howard Court within the constraints which the Trust faces, e.g. land availability, planning regulations & planning permission constraints. The provision of a car parking permit at Howard Court is not a contractual entitlement for guaranteed parking on site at Howard Court. The Trust reserves the right to withdraw a car parking permit where it considers this necessary. The main focus of this policy addresses operational issues associated with car parking and traffic management within Howard Court and covers the following groups of people: Staff Visitors Those attending Trust property on business Implementation of the policy will: Ensure planning for the future needs of the organisation in terms of travel/transport requirements. Raise awareness of visitors and staff travel options. Reduce the dependency on car travel. Demonstrate the Trust's commitment to fulfilling its duty as a Good Corporate Citizen in relation to the reduction of pollutants, recognising the serious global climate and environmental issues facing ourselves, particularly as a healthcare organisation. Support the local community in reducing traffic congestion. 2 Purpose The aim of this policy is for the Trust to encourage, whenever possible, alternatives to car travel including; improvements in the facilities for cyclists, walkers, motorcyclists and users of public transport and to use its existing car parking provision at Howard Court more wisely. This will result in improvements in air quality and encourage a more health conscious workforce whilst addressing the limited parking facilities available on site. 3 Scope This policy relates to all HCT employees. The Trust will communicate its Howard Court Car Parking Policy so that visitors and staff are fully aware of the rules and possible sanctions. Restricted parking areas will be identified with clearly signed parking areas for visitors, staff and the disabled. Howard Court Car Parking Policy, HS V.2 Page 3 of 14

4 The Trust will enforce its Howard Court Car Parking Policy. Anyone parking inappropriately on the Howard Court site may be subject to civil penalties. Staff may forfeit their permits and may be subject to disciplinary action, following an investigation, under the Trust s Disciplinary Policy should they contravene the Howard Court Car Parking Policy. For staff parking, the Trust will operate a permit system where all staff are required to display an identifying pass in the windscreen that signifies their entitlement to park. Holding a permit does not guarantee a member of staff a parking space at Howard Court, but entitles them to park in the spaces designated to the Trust within the Howard Court complex or the parking made available in the area for Trust staff. Identification of Parking Categories (specific locations based on usage) HCT have now acquired some additional off-site parking for staff that are required to work at Howard Court. Parking permits will be allocated according to the nature of usage. This will be influenced by working patterns and will determine whether on-site or off-site parking is required. Parking permit applications will require staff to complete a section which provides details of their travel and activity. This will identify whether staff do require parking on-site or off-site. A member of staff who makes more than three trips off site per week is considered to be a mobile worker and will be eligible to park on site with a Blue Permit. Different colour parking permits will be allocated to show what type of parking is required. i.e. - Blue Permits for on-site parking (mobile workers), and - Red Permits for off-site parking (in parking formally identified as alternative resource for HCT) There will be three types of parking space available for use at Howard Court and any other local parking provided for staff. Disabled space Restricted solely for the use of drivers with a blue badge which they are entitled to use Visitor space Restricted to non HCT visitors and Trust staff whose normal working location is not Howard Court Staff Space Available to any staff member who has a pass and is current with payments of their charges. In addition, a formal Drop-Off space will be allocated adjacent to the Building Entrance. This is available to all staff or visitors who are required to drop off or collect items. The maximum stopping period will be 15 minutes. Those Staff who work at Howard Court who do not have a parking pass may not use any of the parking provided for Trust purposes. 4 Charges Staff provided with a permit for parking will be charged at the rate set by the Director of Finance. Changes in the charging rate will not be backdated. Parking charges will be 30 per month and will be pro rata for part time staff based on the number of working days. The charging rate will be confirmed on the HCT intranet site and by other means as considered appropriate by the Estates Team. Howard Court Car Parking Policy, HS V.2 Page 4 of 14

5 There will be no charge for Blue Badge Holders but they will be expected to display their badge whilst parked at Howard Court. Staff who can reclaim parking charges under their terms of engagement are still required to pay parking charges and must obtain and display a parking permit. Such members of staff will be required to pay parking charges in full for the term of their contract and reclaim as appropriate. Owners of low emission vehicles in Car Tax Band A may claim a discount of 50% on their parking charges. Staff may agree a car sharing arrangement whereby the use of single pass may be shared between a number of vehicles. One staff member will take responsibility for paying the charges and the other members of the car share will reimburse them privately. The nominated member is required to ensure the pass is endorsed for all the vehicles in the car share 5 Payment Options Staff joining the scheme will be able to pay by one of two payment methods; Deduction from net pay in 12 equal monthly deductions Deduction from gross pay via Salary Sacrifice Scheme (please refer to the Salary Sacrifice Policy) Staff must complete and sign an application form (see Appendix 1) in order to apply for a parking permit at Howard Court. By doing so, staff give permission to the Trust to deduct the charges through the relevant Payroll Department. 6 Issuing of Permits All staff eligible to apply for a permit will be required to complete the application form at Appendix 1. The completed application form will be authorised by the individual s line manager and taken to the Estates Finance Officer for processing. A permit will then be issued to the individual by the Estates Finance Officer. 7 Surrender of Permits Should a permit holder s circumstances change or should they leave the employment of the Trust, or move to a different base within the Trust, then they must return their permit to Reception at Howard Court. Should an individual wish to withdraw from the scheme they must complete the withdrawal form (see Appendix 2). This is required in order to instruct Payroll to cease taking payments from an individual s salary. Failure to complete this form may result in payments continuing to be deducted from an individual s salary. Individuals wishing to temporarily leave the scheme (for example whilst on Maternity or Long Term Sick Leave) can do so by completing the temporary withdrawal form (see Appendix 3). Howard Court Car Parking Policy, HS V.2 Page 5 of 14

6 8 Parking Enforcement Tickets Any Parking Enforcement Tickets a member of staff receives because they have failed to follow parking restriction regulations, either enforced by the local council or a private contractor will be at the cost of the employee. There is no such scheme currently operating within the Howard Court car park. 9 Use of the Car park by non-permit holders Where a non-paying member of Howard Court staff needs to load / unload equipment or drop in for less than ten minutes, they may use the visitor s spaces or the contractor s / drop off area adjacent to the front door. Other staff [e.g. those who are employed by the Trust but are not based at Howard Court] or visitors may use the visitor s spaces if they are available. If they are not available then they will be required to park off site. It is the responsibility of the individual(s) at Howard Court to inform their visitor(s) of these arrangements. Interim staff will not be given automatic permission to use the car park and should be told by the person they report to of the need to pay if they wish to do so. They should apply in the same way, using the application form (Appendix 1) and make arrangements with the Finance Department to pay by cheque. 10 Ownership, Roles and Responsibilities The generic statement of roles and responsibilities of The Trust Board, Designated Committee, The Executive Team, Chief Executive Officer, Lead Executive Director, Lead Policy Author, Deputy Directors/ General Managers, Line Managers, All Staffs, Policy Lead and Communication Officer applicable to all the HCT policies/ procedural documents are in line with the HCT (Trust) GR V.4. Roles and responsibilities specific to this particular policy are defined below. Board Sub Committee (Designated Committee) The Strategy and Resources Committee (SRC) is the Designated Committee for this policy. The Lead Executive Director The Director of Finance is identified as the Lead executive Director for this policy. The Lead Officer: The Head of Estates is identified as the Lead Officer for this policy. a) Role of Finance and Estates The Finance and Estates Departments will be responsible for; reviewing the cost of the monthly car parking fee on an annual basis. Any new charges will be implemented from 1 April annually or as soon as possible thereafter. Any increases agreed after this date will not be backdated ensuring that the agreed charging formula is published on the HCT intranet site Howard Court Car Parking Policy, HS V.2 Page 6 of 14

7 maintaining the records of authorities signed by staff authorising the deduction of the charges from their salaries b) Staff Responsibilities It is the responsibility of the permit holder to ensure that; they park only in the spaces clearly defined as belonging to HCT the permit is clearly displayed on the windscreen or dashboard of their vehicle they park tidily and within the lines they do not park in a disabled parking space unless they are a Blue Badge holder they provide the Estates Finance Officer with details of their car registration number when applying for a permit (and if this changes at any time) they do not park in the visitor s spaces / contractor s spaces if staying for more than 10 minutes they demonstrate consideration and courtesy to residents, pedestrians and other road users if parking in local streets they notify the receptionist of the registration number, make and colour of any vehicle that they discover in the car park that is not displaying a valid permit [e.g. this is a selfpolicing scheme]. If a car is parked and blocking other cars, then a notice must be placed in the windscreen of the blocking vehicle stating the name and contact details of the owner/driver so that they can be called to move it immediately upon request, irrespective of what they are doing. Responsibilities of the Trust HCT accept no responsibility for damage to, or loss or theft from staff vehicles parked on the Howard Court site or on public roads or car parks unless it can be proved [in a civil court if necessary] that they have been negligent. 11 Document Control and archiving arrangements The version control table as listed in Appendix 4 enables appropriate control of the policy with listed personnel responsible for its implementation as well the date assigned / approved / circulated. The older version is removed from the intranet and archived at the designated location. 12 Equality Impact Analyses The completed EIA form for this policy has been undertaken by the Lead Policy Author Appendix 5 before submitting the policy for ratification. 13 Appendices Howard Court Staff Car Parking Application Form Howard Court Withdrawal from Car Parking Scheme Howard Court Temporary Withdrawal from Car Parking Scheme Version Control Table Equality Impact Assessment Howard Court Car Parking Policy, HS V.2 Page 7 of 14

8 APPENDICES Howard Court Car Parking Policy, HS V.2 Page 8 of 14

9 APPENDIX 1: Application to join the Howard Court Staff Car Parking Scheme Howard Court Staff Car Parking Application Form The cost of all parking is as detailed in the Howard Court Car Parking Policy and by copy of this note, authorised by you, Payroll will arrange the necessary salary deduction. This charge is revisable during the year but notice will be given. Personal Details Payroll/Employee No Name Department Cost Centre Pay Band Are you already a paying member of the Howard Court Car Parking Scheme? Yes No (This will be checked & verified) Car Details Make & Model Colour Registration Travel Activity Details Is Howard Court you main base? Travel Patterns Do you stay at Howard Court all day? On average how many days are you required to travel off-site from Howard Court in a week? Are you an Interim / Agency member of staff who can reclaim parking charges under your terms of employment? (You must pay parking charges for the term of your contract in full by cheque) Answers Hours of Work Contracted number of hours per week.. For part time staff number of days per week hours are worked Line manager s signature.. I wish to pay by: Deduction from net pay in 12 equal monthly deductions Deduction from gross pay via salary sacrifice scheme By cheque [Interim Staff Only*] [*Please take your cheque to Estates Finance Officer] I agree to a monthly salary deduction / payment of. until further notice with effect from Signed: Date:.. Howard Court Car Parking Policy, HS V.2 Page 9 of 14

10 For Office Use Only: Permit issued (colour). Monthly charge. Signed:. (Receptionist) Date:.. Please return this form to Receptionist to issue permit and for onward transmission to Payroll Department. Guidance Notes Salary Sacrifice Scheme The Trust offers its staff the option of undertaking some of the benefits it offers as a salary sacrifice. Staff based at sites where monthly car parking fees are deducted by payroll can choose to pay this via a salary sacrifice scheme. This is an agreed variation of contract between the employee and the employer that the cost of the benefit is taken from the employee s salary before the calculation for tax, national insurance and pension contributions (if you have opted in for the pension) are deducted. By doing this your gross salary is reduced therefore reducing the amount of deductions taken for tax, national insurance and pension, which saves you money. (See below) For staff who are members of the pension scheme and are in the last 3 years before drawing their pension it is not recommended that you opt for salary sacrifice because it reduces your gross salary and would affect your final salary pension. Examples of Savings (assuming you are paying into the NHS Pension scheme at the standard rate) Monthly tariff (amount Salary sacrifice and in NHS Salary sacrifice and not in NHS sacrificed from salary) Pension Pension NB Salary sacrifice benefits are variable due to levels of tax and national insurance (NI) contributions made. What is salary sacrifice? A salary sacrifice happens when an employee gives up the right to receive part of the cash pay due to them under his / her contract of employment. Usually the sacrifice is made in return for the employer s agreement to provide the employee with some form of non-cash benefit. The sacrifice is achieved by varying the employee s terms and conditions of employment relating to pay. If you choose to pay via salary sacrifice, the cost of the car parking permit will be deducted from your salary before you are charged tax, national insurance etc. For example, if you earn 12,000 per year your salary is 1,000 per month. Tax, national insurance and pension contributions are payable on 1,000 (after taking into account your personal allowance). If you decide to pay for car parking via salary sacrifice, the 1,000 you earn a month is reduced by the car parking fee. For example, if the fee is 30 a month for car parking, (this is the monthly cost to park full time at Howard Court, if you work part-time, you will pay pro-rata rate), you pay tax, national insurance and pension contributions on 970 (i.e. 1,000 less 30). This may affect the level of pension that you are entitled to when you retire, but may save you more in terms of tax savings in the long-term. Further information regarding salary sacrifice schemes can be found athttp:// Howard Court Car Parking Policy, HS V.2 Page 10 of 14

11 APPENDIX 2: Application to withdraw from the parking scheme Withdrawal from car parking scheme I wish to withdraw from the Howard Court Car Parking Scheme and would like to instruct Payroll to stop deducting money from my pay for this. Name Job Title Employee number Manager Manager Signature Office phone Vehicle type Mobile Vehicle Reg No I understand that unauthorised use of the car park following withdrawal from the scheme is not acceptable. I agree to abide with the rules regarding the car parking and will not bring my vehicle into the car park unless I need to do so to load / unload passengers / materials. If I am doing so, I agree not to leave my car there longer than is necessary for that process. I have read and completed the above and hereby authorise the changes to my pay and parking permissions. Signed Date Please surrender your permit to the Estates Finance Officer: Signed (Estates Finance Officer) Date For payroll only Date received Date actioned Signature Signature Howard Court Car Parking Policy, HS V.2 Page 11 of 14

12 APPENDIX 3: Application to temporarily withdraw from the parking scheme Temporary break from car parking scheme I wish to withdraw from the Howard Court Car Parking Scheme for the period..[date] to..[date] and would like to instruct Payroll to cease deducting money from my pay for this period. Name Job Title Employee number Manager Manager Signature Office phone Vehicle type Mobile Vehicle Reg No I understand that unauthorised use of the car park during this period is not acceptable. I agree to abide with the rules regarding the car parking and will not bring my vehicle into the car park unless I need to do so to load / unload passengers / materials. If I am doing so, I agree not to leave my car there longer than is necessary for that process. I have read and completed the above and hereby authorise the changes to my pay and parking permissions for the above stated period. Signed Date Please surrender your permit to the Estates Finance Officer: Signed (Estates Finance Officer) Date For payroll only Date received Date actioned Signature Signature Howard Court Car Parking Policy, HS V.2 Page 12 of 14

13 APPENDIX 4: Version Control Table Version No. Status (Draft/ Approved) Lead Officer (Author) Date ratified (dd/mm/year) & reported Designated Committee Comment (Key points of amendments) V1 V2 Approved draft Approved Draft Eric Beach August 2013 Diane Brent Jan 2016 Historical Editions: Edition/ Version and Date Reason for archiving V.1 Nov 2013 Superseded by V.2, Jan 2016 Date for archiving & location Howard Court Car Parking Policy, HS V.2 Page 13 of 14

14 APPENDIX 5: Equality Impact Analyses Form To be undertaken, completed and attached to any procedural document when submitted to the appropriate committee for consideration and ratification. Function or Service Howard Court Staff Car Parking Policy Date of Equality Analysis Those involved in this analysis Intended Outcomes What are the Desired Outcomes? What are the benefits? To outline the policy and standards around car parking at the Trust HQ, Howard Court. To encourage alternatives to car travel and in turn promote a more health conscious workforce whilst addressing the issue of limited parking facilities on site. Evidence What evidence is being used to support and develop the service/function? NHS Patient, Visitor & Staff Car Parking Principles (August 2014) January 2016 D. Brent, M. Lehane Human Rights Approach What are patients core rights as part of this service/function? Are there any gaps identified? What are the risks? What action is needed to mitigate risk and/or close the gap? Whilst patients will not be affected, staff employed both directly and indirectly by the Trust will be impacted. This policy sets out general principles for parking at Howard Court. Any issues should be raised with line managers in the first instance. What are the Risks? What are the risks in providing an equitable service? How can these risks be reduced, managed or justified? We are aware that this policy may impact directly or indirectly on certain staff from protected groups. We have considered Health & Safety objectively. We believe this policy is justified as a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. Who will be Affected? Identify issues in relation to each of the protected groups below: Race: None Gender Reassignment: None Disability: Some staff and visitors with disabilities may be affected by the limited parking facilities Maternity & Pregnancy: Some staff and visitors who are pregnant may be affected by the limited on site at Howard Court. Two designated parking facilities on site at Howard Court. disabled parking bays have been allocated to mitigate this as much as possible. Individual cases arising will be dealt with in a sensitive manner. Gender: None Religion or Belief: None Age: None Marriage & Civil partnership: None Sexual Orientation: None What Workforce Issues included job role and design need to be considered? None Engagement and Involvement Who has been involved in this analysis? The Estates Department including the Health and Safety Advisor. Actions Identified: None S. No. WHAT WHO WHEN COST Howard Court Car Parking Policy, HS V.2 Page 14 of 14