Charity using our street to park their Luton vans.

[Lutonvan]

Sorry for the long post -

A well known charity has been using our street to park 2-3 large Luton vans for about a year. Initially this wasn't a problem as noone wanted to complain about it but I live in a large town with dreadful parking. Our street has about 80 houses and extremely limited parking, we are also the only non permit holding street left in our area.

We have basically no space for cars to park before 9ish and after 5pm, ever (unless you have a driveway). Residents have resorted to parking on grass when this happens. They will drive here in individual cars around 9.30am when there's spots available then load into the vans together and arrive back shortly before the 5pm rush and drive home.

They live nowhere near here (a neighbour said they live the other side of town) but have chosen our street as their designated parking area. They wear full uniform for this charity and they deliver/collect furniture. There's about 4/5 people who do this.

They leave their rubbish on the road, park overhanging people's driveways, park in blind spots and on corners, park opposite driveways and block other people's cars in trying to squeeze in front of the double yellows. Once they parked over our driveway and I asked if they could move it back a little and they got very confrontational with me and refused.

Last year the vans remained unmoved all over Christmas and New year's stopping any actual residents parking there for about 2 weeks. Many reported them as abandoned.

I don't know what to do, I mean, yes it's legal for anyone to park there, that's the reason we have all left it so long but can corporate businesses/charities actually do that? Is there anything we can do? Or do we just leave it.

Is it BHF?

HO probably have no idea they are actually doing it , I would call up BHF and try and to speak to their head of retail operations/ retail director (or similar title) or find them on LinkedIn work thier email out and email them.

I’d point out to the council that people on streets who are already residents only shouldn’t be allowed to vote as they’d be biased.

Collect some evidence (especially of the illegal parking and other bad behaviour) and complain to the charity directly. If they don’t sort it out, you could go on social media? But without permit parking they can be there legally if they’re properly parked.

I’d definitely try again for permit only parking. Residents often don’t like the idea at first, and there’s potentially some inconvenience, but overall it will reduce parking and therefore traffic, in your street. Who doesn’t want fewer cars driving up and down their road looking for a spot, making a noise and increasing pollution?
The reality is that there are too many cars on UK roads. Our infrastructure wasn’t built for households owning multiple cars. So if people want to own a whole bunch of cars per household, they should have to pay to park them if they can’t park them on their own property.

Go onto the Charities Commission website and find out who the trustees are. Write to them. They are probably totally unaware that this is happening. If anyone can sort things out, they can. It would be in the charity's interests to not annoy the very people who live locally and might otherwise support the charity.

Just contact the local shop and explain what’s going on, especially the bad parking, the aggressive behaviour and how you and others find them intimidating.

They won’t want negative publicity. Explain that whilst nothing has been made public yet you do feel that unless they find somewhere else to park that you will make it public to local press and social media.

If they collect furniture and have massive vans they should have factored in that they will need to park them somewhere.

if the local office don’t assist - I’d contact the head office and explain the situation and that you will be contacting local press about the less than charitable and understanding attitude of the charity.

so start local and work your way up. They need to make provisions for private parking for these vans.

Photograph the drivers in their uniforms and film any interactions you have with them then post all over social media. The charity will not like the negative publicity.

Speak to charity directly first and then local MP

In the same position as soozy58 I know my company would be annoyed at this behaviour from employees. At the end of the day these guys are employees not saints they won't care whether they upset residents. Sadly they can park where they like at the present moment but their behaviour needs to be addressed.

Complain to the charity, take photos every time there's a problem.

Separately, get in touch with your local district or county councillor (whichever body is in charge of parking regulations) and get them on side to the fact that the surrounding streets should not have a say in a vote on your street, then seek a re-vote.

Start filming the littering, poor parking and abusive behaviour when called out and contact your local newspaper. Whack it on social media. Tag the charity.

That will get a reaction.

It's not out of order to complain to a charity. You're not complaining about the services they provide. You're complaining about bad practice they probably aren't even aware of, and which is to the detriment of the charity. I bet no one in your street wants to donate to them now!

I've worked in charity communications and we'd always rather know so we can address it. Charities generally don't see themselves as being above the law or above common decency.

Speak to the charity about the other issues, rather than the parking on your street.

I think they are being very lazy. In many places such organisations arrange with offices, garages, retail stores, supermarkets, etc to use their car parks overnight. Using a residential street i snot on. Suggest to them that they do this.

I agree with the all the PPs. They are causing a nuisance and damaging the reputation of the charity . They shouldn't get away with it because its a charity. Imagine Tesco or sainsburys employees behaving like that?
Take photos, keep logs etc, Write to their head office informing them that you will go to the press if they don't resolve the matter

You're not out of order for complaining to/about a charity.

I've worked for a couple of charities. Worst jobs and working environments I've ever had. Yes, the work they do is often brilliant, essential and life changing - not disputing that! But they're not paragons of virtue and they're run by ordinary people. They're behaving irresponsibly and inconsiderately - report them and complain, to their head offices and to your local council.

I also work for a charity and if this happened we would want to know immediately. One of my first tasks 20+ years ago as a new member of staff was to negotiate parking with a local supermarket and we went cap in hand to ask for a space in a dismal far away corner of a massive car park, spoke to the manager to ask and were over the moon when we got it. The drivers might just be employed on a sessional basis by the charity, vans rented etc so management might not have a clue what's going on.

I also agree upthread someone said write to the Trustees if no luck, details on Charity Commission website.

I suggest you talk to the council. We had a problem with mini cabs all parking up outside our houses and the drivers hanging about half the night talking and chucking rubbish etc. Kept everyone awake but also not great having random men watching you go in and out as a woman. They were attached to a particular cab company and the council told them they couldn’t do it and they stopped.

Agree, I would start with that.

Focus on the littering and the illegal behaviour, rather than them parking on a road where they have every right to be. Because nobody should be parking on double yellows or throwing their shit everywhere.

You organise by word of mouth only a protest

get all neighbours with cars to not park on driveways but use entire road to park - leave not one single space. Leave 3ft gap between each vehicle

then when these people turn up and take the vans - park in those spaces.

now with nowhere to park and on there return no where to park there vans….? They have to find alternative places

niw go out in the evening and rearrange the cars that can stay parked, make sure there are gaps between all the cars if 4ft so not enough to park but you don’t need as many cars parked

then the following day they have nowhere to park and the vans maybe local but they’ll need to find elsewhere to park

lots of effort, but you might want to protest in this manner

thishasalwaysbeenme. That’s because council will licence taxis but they don’t licence charities. The taxi company will have been worried to lose their taxi licences and so council can get involved.

if drivers are on the rd blocking drives it’s police not council

They leave their rubbish on the road, park overhanging people's driveways, park in blind spots and on corners, park opposite driveways and block other people's cars in trying to squeeze in front of the double yellows. Once they parked over our driveway and I asked if they could move it back a little and they got very confrontational with me and refused.

Report them for this antisocial behaviour

Residents have resorted to acted like twats parking on grass when this happens

Also report this antisocial behaviour

In terms of parking, you have no more right to the land outside your house than anyone else. I'd quite like storage space for a spare fridge or wardrobe, I don't just claim it.
If you can't afford space to store your cars you have to adjust, try again to get paid permits but it's incredibly selfish to try to claim public land is yours for free.

If its BHF.......
Our local BHF large items collection and delivery is contracted out to "someone else" but they use BHF vans - so the local shop may not be aware this is happening. I would call the shop and have a chat with them.

We had a similar situation in a road near us (a van hire company parking their fleet). The residents on the road started a campaign of vandalism. Not slashing tyres or anything, but throwing eggs and flour over the vans every day. Eventually the company got fed up of it and found somewhere else to park.

I volunteered for a large one in the late 80s. The older ladies would be beside themselves with excitement, getting out the best coffee, cake and biscuits when the area manager called in.

He asked me to move his (company) car one day, insisting I was insured (I wasn't). I got in and saw his pay slip. £45K!

He never brought biscuits for the old dears and the charity itself was always wanting more money. No wonder when it was paying that much back then.

Complain. Charity begins at home.

Once they parked over our driveway and I asked if they could move it back a little and they got very confrontational with me and refused
Charity or not that would be enough for me to complain to the charity concerned. I would even consider going to the press about it, they should be shamed.