Oxfordshire - proposed Carers parking permit amendments

We're asking for your views on the proposal to issue parking permits to a wider range of Care Professionals, to allow vehicles used by such carers whilst on duty, to park in designated permit parking places in the controlled parking zones and Pay & Display places for up to 3 hours during their statutory and/or domiciliary visits.

OCC policies regarding parking permits have been in place for several years and the eligibility and criteria is detailed within legal orders. The policies entitle parking permits for carers, ‘care professionals’, and community-based healthcare professionals. Care professionals are presently defined as meaning ‘an appropriately qualified person, employed by a Private Care Organisation whose work duties involve the provision of domiciliary health and/or welfare care direct to Service Users’. However, although providing urgent welfare care, presently this definition does not cover Children’s or Adults Social Workers.

The proposals seek to help facilitate the efficient and timely delivery of care contracted to Oxfordshire County Council., as the lack of parking permits increases the cost-of-service provision and reduces service efficiency – through car parking charges, car parking fines, and wasted time spent searching for car parking places. Most critically, the wasted time directly reduces social worker case holding capacity, and indirectly impacts health and wellbeing and workforce turnover.

Have your say.

Please read the detailed information provided on this consultation and take the time to complete the survey as your views and opinions matter. Your response should be completed and returned by 5pm on Friday 21 April 2023.

Whilst we will endeavor to answer simple queries during the course of the consultation, any more complex questions/issues will be appraised and dealt with as part of consultation process.

What happens next?

The County Council will review the responses and if necessary (i.e. if objections are received) prepare a report to be presented to the Cabinet Member for Highway Management at a meeting scheduled for later in 2023. This will be public meeting at which members of the public may apply to speak. The agenda and reports for meetings will be made available on the Oxfordshire County Council web site about a week before the meeting (please note that occasionally it is necessary to defer reports to a later meeting, and it is therefore advisable to check the agenda ahead of attending a meeting). The Forward Plan of decisions meetings can be viewed here.