Churchill Ward Councillors Shamim Talukder and Andrea Mann met with representatives of Churchill Gardens Resident Association, CityWest Homes and Westminster Council to discuss issues with parking on Churchill Gardens estate.

Since CityWest Homes took over parking enforcement on Churchill Gardens in October 2016, they have not – by their own admission – provided the same service that was in place before then (run by Wing Parking).

Previously, under Wing Parking, cars parked on the estate without a licence were immediately issued with a ticket and fine. Under CityWest Homes, such drivers have simply been issued with warning notices, which take a long time to enforce – and it seems that even that enforcement didn’t start until later in 2017.

Put simply, Churchill Gardens residents have continued to pay the same price for their parking permits without getting a like-for-like service – a service that has led to non-residents taking advantage of the new system by parking on the estate for free.

What’s more, CityWest Homes never told residents about this change to parking enforcement on the estate – and admit they were aware that people could take advantage of the new system.

We believe that CityWest Homes should have been transparent with residents about this change in service – and that the change should have been reflected in the price of permits under the new system (i.e. reduced service, reduced permit price).

That’s why we’re calling for CityWest Homes and the Cabinet Member for Housing to agree to offer some form of compensation to Churchill Gardens residents who have paid for parking permits since October 2016. This could be in the form of refunds or free parking permits equivalent to the length of time they have been paying for parking.

We will keep residents updated on the progress we make.