Cabinet agreed:

1.    To implement Chipside’s virtual permit (MiPermit) solution for new permit applications for all types listed below from May 2021.  

·       Business

·       Carer

·       Car park season tickets

·       Critical duty

·       Havering clinical commissioning group

·       Havering hero

·       Health and homecare

·       Members

·       Parking waiver

·       Resident

·       Staff car park season tickets

·       School streets exemption

·       Voucher

2.    To migrate all existing permit holders to the MiPermit solution from their date of expiry after May 2021;

3.    To offer a virtual visitor permit option from May 2021 to run concurrently with paper visitor scratch cards.

4.    To transfer the responsibility for answering all calls relating to parking permits handled by the Contact Centre and other Havering services to Chipside’s MiPermit helpline.

Cabinet considered the Virtual Permits report presented by Councillor Osman Dervish.

Highways traffic and Parking (HTP) services proposed paper permits are replaced by virtual permits (MiPermit) provided by the Council’s contracted Notice Processing System supplier – Chipside.

Changing permits to a virtual system will make savings and improve efficiencies for HTP, Customer Services and Corporate Support and improve the customer journey, which in part delivers on the Council’s corporate plan for digital improvements to enhance the customer experience and enable self-service.

Chipside also offer a telephony service which manages all calls received relating to MiPermit. This would make further efficiencies by directing calls to a dedicated service able to provide specialist advice and reduce call volumes and email enquiries for the Contact Centre.

During the pandemic due to the closure of the PASC around 70% of the permits are generated virtually and it is expected that this may increase.

Steve Halsey, Project Manager, gave further detail and indicated that there would be no upfront costs and the introduction of Virtual Permits would generate savings and drive efficiencies, which represents excellent value for money for Havering.  The current printing costs of paper permits is £2.03 and the virtual permits will cost around £1.50 per permit.

Anyone needing assistance to generate a virtual permit will be able to access support through the PASC and libraries.

The Leader of the Council commended the increased efficiencies of this recommendation and noted that Havering is adjudicated to be the fifth most efficient Council in the country of which he is very proud.  The recommendations here adds to the efficiencies of the Council which is becoming digital by design.

After discussion,

Cabinet agreed:

1.    To implement Chipside’s virtual permit (MiPermit) solution for new permit applications for all types listed below from May 2021.  

·       Business

·       Carer

·       Car park season tickets

·       Critical duty

·       Havering clinical commissioning group

·       Havering hero

·       Health and homecare

·       Members

·       Parking waiver

·       Resident

·       Staff car park season tickets

·       School streets exemption

·       Voucher

2.    To migrate all existing permit holders to the MiPermit solution from their date of expiry after May 2021;

3.    To offer a virtual visitor permit option from May 2021 to run concurrently with paper visitor scratch cards.

4.    To transfer the responsibility for answering all calls relating to parking permits handled by the Contact Centre and other Havering services to Chipside’s MiPermit helpline.