SURREY Police has been accused by a Waverley councillor of "abrogating its responsibilities" in connection with the parking fiasco that has beset Waverley borough. Waverley officers were this week hoping to organise an urgent meeting with police and Surrey County Council (SCC), in a bid to resolve the situation that has resulted from the borough's traffic wardens being made redundant as of last Saturday. With police insisting they will only enforce the on- street parking regulations where there is a risk to life or property, motorists have been handed virtual free rein on the streets. That situation could continue until early in 2007 - until the completion of the processes by which on- street parking offences are decriminalised to become civil offences in Waverley, giving the borough council the specific approval of the Secretary of State for Transport to take on enforcement responsibilities on behalf of SCC. The police, in a statement this week, make clear that the decision to make the two traffic wardens redundant had been taken only after four years of protracted discussions. "During this time, Surrey Police was hoping to reach a decision regarding the terms that parking enforcement would be transferred to Waverley and Surrey councils while wardens were still employed. "In addition, Surrey Police had the welfare of two members of staff to consider, who did not know from month to month what their future held. "It reached the stage, from a policing perspective, that key operational decisions needed to be made about where to employ police resources in 2006. Under DPE legislation, it was clear that responsibility for parking would transfer from the police to the councils. "It needs to be understood that Waverley is the last borough to make this transition in the county. The 10 other boroughs and districts within Surrey have all agreed terms with the county council and in some cases have been operating the enhanced service for up to two years." In Waverley's executive on Tuesday, however, there were complaints that the police had taken the redundancy decision without consultation with Waverley or Surrey. "I don't understand how the police can abrogate their responsibilities," Farnham councillor Victor Scrivens declared, going on to criticise the police as an unelected body with no accountability to the electorate. He went on to claim that the Chief Constable had told Waverley at a recent meeting that there would not be redundancies. Waverley's environmental director, Peter Maudsley, said the decision had not been taken for financial reasons. The wardens were employed by the police, but paid for by SCC, which had made budgetary provision for the costs. Council leader Gillian Ferguson stressed that although Waverley bears no responsibilty "technically, financially or practically", it was trying to put pressure on the SCC and the police to work out a means of bridging the gap until Waverley has been granted the necessary authority. In the meantime, only the police can employ wardens or community police to take on the task, she explained. Miss Ferguson revealed that official agreement was only reached between Waverley and Surrey on March 25 on the terms on which Waverley would take on responsibility. She reiterated that the council had understood that the police would maintain the traffic wardens until the new arrangements were in place. Speaking after the meeting, John Robini, Waverley's portfolio holder for car parks, said: "Waverley has always been committed to resolving the issue of parking enforcement throughout the borough with SCC. We are now in the unacceptable situation that until on-street parking offences are decriminalised, neither we, nor SCC are able to enforce parking regulations. "The power to enforce what are currently criminal offences rests exclusively with the police. Regrettably they have declined SCC's proposals to continue enforcing parking regulations in the interim." Mr Robini said Waverley was working with Surrey to prepare an application to attain the Secretary of State's approval for decriminalisation. "This process will unfortunately take some time," he said, urging all motorists to act responsibly and reasonably and give thought to local residents, pedestrians and other road users. The police statement explained that the Chief Constable attended a meeting at Waverley last month and hoped that there would be an agreement about decriminalisation. "However, his view was that if this could not be agreed, it would be inevitable that there was a risk that the two traffic wardens would be made redundant." The statement added: "The public will understand a need for the police to prioritise valuable resources and Surrey Police is committed to working with its partners to find an interim solution." And it added the warning: "Motorists still have a legal obligation to obey traffic and parking restrictions."
