Poor parent parking outside Walsall school gates is 'getting mad' - councillor

Members of Walsall Council’s cabinet heard how school gate parking was an issue across the borough, highlighted by enforcement action which saw more than 2,500 people warned before more than 430 were hit with fines in just one school term.

Councillor Adrian Andrew, deputy leader, said he had previously witnessed neighbours taking their children to the school less than 200 metres away by car.

Members of the authority’s Scrutiny Overview Committee set up a working group in 2022 to look into the issue and came up with a raft of recommendations.

Walsall was one of just several councils granted moving traffic enforcement powers outside 10 Walsall schools which came into effect last September.

A total of 2,556 enforcement warnings were given before 432 penalty charge notices were issued during the 2023 autumn term.

Councillor Andrew said: “We have to take real action on this. If we could come up with a solution to this problem and bottle it, we’d all be millionaires overnight.

“I live by a school, probably about 200 metres away. When I first moved there, the school gate parking issue was probably 150 metres up the road. It’s now outside my house.

“I’ve witnessed people who live a few doors down from me, they don’t live there now, take their kids to school in a car.

“It’s not just the schools near where I live but schools all over the borough and all over the country where this is a real issue.

“I’m witnessing now in my own street, instead of people driving off they are doing three-point turns in the middle of all this traffic to get off quicker rather than even just popping down the road and turning around. It’s getting mad.”

Councillor Kerry Murphy, portfolio holder for street pride, said: “We were only one of three local councils who applied for these powers because most ward councillors have received complaints about school gate parking.

“Whether it be children’s safety or concerns about parking. Acting on this shows we care and we listen to our residents and this has been really well received by schools and residents.

“It offers protection to children walking to and from school and helps them manage healthy lifestyles, manages concerns of local residents.

“We will be funding more school gate parking (initiatives) in the future.”

And Councillor Mark Statham, cabinet member for education and skills, added: “It is of fundamental importance making our schools and the roads around them safe places for children, young people, parents and local residents.

“It’s pleasing to see persistent offenders have now been penalised with 400 PCN issued in this academic year alone sending a clear message to offenders.

“It’s also important to highlight the lived experiences of children who see confrontations between parents and local residents in a very unhealthy environment.”