ON-street parking across Hampshire will become the direct responsibility of the county council from April 1.

The authority already manages on-street parking services in Fareham, Gosport, New Forest and Test Valley and, at the beginning of next month, this responsibility will expand to cover Basingstoke, Eastleigh, East Hampshire, Havant, Hart and Rushmoor, with Winchester following from October 1.

The county council’s executive lead member for universal services, Cllr Nick Adams-King, said: “Historically, on-street parking management has been delegated to local district and borough councils to carry out on our behalf.

"However, from 2020, this role has been transferring back to the county council. At the start of the next financial year, as well as managing on-street parking enforcement, we will also be responsible for the introduction of new parking controls such as yellow line and disabled parking bays, and overseeing the existing residential parking schemes, including the issuing of new permits across all parts of Hampshire. 

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“Residents who live in a residential parking zone will soon be receiving a letter that will provide details as to how they can renew their permits once their current permit expires. In many cases residents will not need to take any immediate action as current permits will remain valid until the date of their expiry.

“County council officers are working closely with the district and borough councils to ensure a smooth transition of these services. The aim of this move is to offer a single and more consistent countywide service and in doing so, we will be utilising technology to reduce operational costs, for example through the introduction of digital rather than paper-based parking permits.” 

The county council’s on-street parking service will be managed as follows: 
Residential parking permits: From April 1, new on-street residents’ parking permits will be digital, rather than paper based, although current permits will remain valid until the date of their expiry. All new permits issued by Hampshire County Council will need to be applied for via MiPermit, which will allow residents to apply through an app, online, or over the telephone. Residents themselves will be able to activate visitor permits and make changes, such as updating their vehicle details, and changes will show immediately on the enforcement officers handheld terminals. For 2023-24 residents parking permit charges will remain at the same price as currently charged by each district and borough council.  

On-street parking: The county council’s parking services provider, NSL, will be responsible for parking enforcement. Customers will continue to be able to pay for parking using the same methods as they do currently.  

Traffic management changes: Requests for new parking controls such as yellow lines, disabled parking bays and access protection markings will be handled directly by the County Council. Yellow lines and other waiting restrictions can be requested at traffic.management@hants.gov.uk.