CHERWELL District Council has been funding a police officer as part of its crack-down on illegal and irresponsible parking in Bicester.

Introduced in September 2017, the council agreed to give police £60,000 to tackle the problem, and in a meeting held on Tuesday, the Cabinet discussed its proposed renewal of the plan for another two years.

It said its renewal would allow time to fully explore civil car parking enforcement in the district.

Under the arrangement, the council funds one full-time Community Support Officer (PCSO) at £30K/year to parking enforcement across the whole district, including Bicester, and one full-time PCSO equivalent to carry out traffic enforcement.

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The council have not yet reached a decision to approve the renewal of the scheme and is set to decide in the next two weeks.

Cherwell’s deputy leader, Cllr George Reynolds, said at the first approval of the PCSO: “The district council is charged with ensuring the quality of life for people in Cherwell and this will have an immediate impact.

“This won’t be one PCSO rushing between parking hotspots, this fund will be a boost in resources for neighbourhood police sergeants all over the district to tackle problems in their areas as they see fit.

“The alternative is a drawn-out, costly process of the district taking over enforcement from the police, which may only result in the improvement that this plan aims to achieve.”

Police only take enforcement action where on-street signs and lines comply with current legislation or where dangerous parking occurs.

There were 304 tickets issued to drivers from November 2017 to April 2019.

Last month, 38 tickets were issued.

People in Bicester however seem more concerned about parking in the centre and call for it to be free.

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Steve McQueen, 42, from Bicester, said: “If they are inclined, people will park illegally. I don’t feel the council should be making money from parking. By making it free it would make the town centre more accessible for everyone.”

A woman from Bicester believes the same.

Tracey Walker, 37, from Bicester, said: “Parking in the main square is short stay and expensive. Parking in Sainsbury’s is free for the first hour but would be so much better if it could be free for longer. Even with three hours limit it makes you rush and worried about how long you are in town.

“I really feel if parking was free with time limits extended, people would want to go shopping, out for dinner, use the cinema and other places in town for longer, therefore helping local businesses.”

Cherwell District Council operates a large number of car parks in Banbury, Bicester and Kidlington which generate an income of around £1.8 million per year.

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At the meeting held on Tuesday, a new action plan had been drafted with the aim of improving car parking in the district.

The plan includes installing electric car charging points, reviewing signage to car parks, ensuring lighting standards are good and car parks are well lit as well as ensuring car parks are inspected regularly for potholes, poor line marking and damaged street furniture.