BPA announces development of an Institute of Parking at the House of Commons

The event, hosted by John Austin MP, was attended by BPA members and Government Officials, including Karen Buck, Minister for the Department for Transport (DfT).

In order to kick-start the formation of the Institute, Mr Williams said the Association will introduce a new category of membership for individuals, called Professional Associate, in August. People joining this category will be given grandfather rights to becoming a member of the Institute of Parking.

The Institute is part of the BPA's long term vision to help establish parking as a profession. In conjunction with creating the Institute, Mr Williams went on to explain, the Association recognises that there is a need to improve the training available to employees in the industry which in turn will help to attract and retain the right people. To this end, the Association is working on developing a Sector Skills strategy, the main aim of which is to define a qualification structure for the entire industry. Such a structure, he explained, will enable people to follow a career path that can take them from an operational to a managerial level, and may identify the need to develop degree level qualifications.

Mr Williams then turned his attention to the BPA's review of DPE, the results of which are to be launched to the public on Tuesday the 19th of July. The BPA appointed Richard Childs (former Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police) to undertake the review, and was supported by the DfT which part funded the project.

Mr Williams explained that the main purpose of the review was to provide recommendations to Government as to how DPE can be improved, and to assist the DfT in putting together Statutory Guidance notes for local authorities in respect of the Traffic Management Act 2004. Mr Williams, did not speak in detail about the findings of the review (which comprise over 40 recommendations), however he did say that the results can be grouped under three headings: legitimacy, transparency and professionalism.

Transport Minister Karen Buck then took the floor. The Minister's address focused mainly on the DPE report and how the recommendations will feed into the work the department is already doing to review parking policy. She said the DfT welcome the report as it will give them an insight into how DPE is working in practice, and that the department will consider Mr Childs findings in detail when putting together the Statutory Guidance notes for local authorities.