Another parking one....

[parkingchaos]

Following on from the other thread, I am in a similar situation.

I work within a child protection team. We were based in the suburbs with plenty of on-site free parking yet have been moved to a city centre office.

There are on-site car parks but our dept have not been allocated any permits.

We are essential car users and can easily travel in excess of 500 miles/month.

They have also scrapped our £1000/yr essential car user. We get the minimum amount for mileage.

It is not as easy to say pay for a permit at a local car park - they are all full. There are a variety of daily car parks in the area and limited street parking but unless you are able to arrive before 8am you will struggle to get a space. Several of us start slightly later, to enable us to do the school run etc, so we can then be driving around for up to an hour looking for anywhere to park within a 20 minute or so radius.

I know people will say park further afield, use public transport but it is not feasible. We are in and out of the office several times per day; attending meetings, doing home visits, accomodating children etc.

We transport children in our cars and also carry laptops - the department got rid of the computers and we have gone paperless, so our laptops go everywhere.

To make it worse, where the office is located is renowned for muggings etc and cars are always being broken into.

Most of us have also had parking tickets/been clamped/been towed, due to meetings over-running and being slightly late in moving the cars.

I have considered refusing to use my car for work - I would have the same caseload though and the job would be impossible.

Any ideas?

TIA

Exactly Harriet- they use this to their advantage. Think a collective grievance is the way forward.

Speak to your mp?

Send a letter to the head of the council to explain that you have all recognised the risks to children that are at risk as a result of the changes to your working practice. Say you are raising it in advance of a tragedy happening as you can all see that something bad is going to happen as a result these changes, that managers do not appear to want to take responsibility but you feel you have a professional responsibility to get this issue on record.

Is there a professional sw organisation or standards body you could contact?

Is there a friendly journalist that could raise it as a story that they have noticed that as a result of changes they are worried about the knock on consequences to children at risk. But not actually name you as having raised it.

Hi zipzap, yes ive been considering writing to our regulatory body. MP is a good idea, as is your letter. Will try them and post back.

Thanks to everyone who has replied.

We are 'allowed' to contact our chief executive.
(local authority) He often has meetings were employees can raise their concerns and things do get acted upon.

Their email in on the internal system. Could you do that?
Maybe a few of you ask for a meeting and have hard facts ready in bullet points so that you can be clear and concise rather than it look like a rant.

Throwing in any and all ideas -

Could you find out from other sw teams in other local authorities what their arrangements are to compare?

Absolutely agree that you should contact your regulatory body.

Do you have performance reviews? Can you bring it up then?

Also get it minuted in team meetings.

Good luck, I and on your behalf.

Yes, we could try that too, thanks.

Has anyone had a near miss lately you could use?

'x recently threatened by a parent, they had to leave quickly and bus stop was 1 mile away'

'child z taken into care in an emergency , taxi didn't turn up'

There should be a risk assessment for car use /remote working/ using public transport. Trawl them for gaps.

The neighbouring authority have pool cars. The other nearby LA's have car allowances - will check to see if they have parking.

Its been brought up in numerous team meetings- the managers say this is how it is now- get on with it!

Performance reviews are a whole different bone of contention- but that's another thread

Risk assessments are a good idea

Good idea Harriet. We seem to have risk assessments for everything but nothing that really covera this. I will keep digging.

Loads of good ideas on here- i'm really grateful.

PM me if you want to compare LA. I'm not CP team ( but am in same building and same T&C)but if you use us before our move we will look better than yours.
Are you rural? We are massive geographically which would cause major issues if we didn't have cars, public transport non existence.

It sounds like your direct manager is being a bit rubbish as it seems obvious you need easy access to your cars during the day. The manager ought to be acting as your advocate and fighting the case for you so that her team can do their job!

One thing I would say is to focus on the real problem of parking and ignore the issues that are not going to be fixed, like not having tablets and not liking hot desking.

I think if I were in this situation I would hot desk in another team's office until it were sorted out and make out I was embracing the flexible working agenda!

Risk Assessments should cover if you use taxi instead of your own cars etc though. Should be using regular drivers (CRB checked), confidentiality issues( gossip? ), risk of lateness/no show.

Management probably end up focussing on cost. Taxi V car/parking how much extra is it costing them in time & money if you use public transport/taxi instead of your car/parking area.

Your local newspaper would do a story on this.

We have tried hot desking in other offices but keep getting kicked out! Also, it's a job where you need your team on hand to discuss strategies, offload etc.

Harriet, not rural at all, complete opposite but cover a large patch. Will PM you.

Newspaper idea is interesting...

Good idea iknowwho.

And this is why SS are useless - it's not the people, it's the lack of staff, lak of funding, over loading.

As a service user (well not but it's complicated). I have complained right the way to the top - including our MP.

They just push me around from person to person and person with no-one actually prepared to help me. I can imagine how they treat their staff.

anyoneknowanything- our managers tend to respond to complaints only when the MP gets involved or they receive a solicitors letter.

Have you tried the GSCC? (although it's closing at the end of July and the HPC will regulate us from then).

Thanks - our mp wrote to head of council who has - pushed it to someone else - who hasn't contacted me.

And despite me making it clear my complaint crosses Education and SS - has pushed it back to Education.

Cut backs are def impacting on essential services - I know it's not the staff - there simply aren't enough of you.

Could your team meet at an Internet cafe, or block book meeting rooms and use your laptops on wifi, or do you need to be plugged in?

Hi- internet cafe is a definite no. We discuss highly sensitive and confidential information- we cannot do that in a public arena. The thought of leaving a diary or something else behind is also worrying.

We are wifi but trying to get a meeting room when you need one is another major problem- there is zero chance of block booking them at a office with a car park.

Thanks for all suggestions- i have a few to try.

anyoneknowanything- all I can suggest is a solicitors letter. No idea on cost though but they seem to work.

Might also be worth you contacting OFSTED.