Council hits hurdles in 'botched' move to new parking system

Problems with the Waltham Forest Council’s new parking system MiPermit mean permit-bay enforcement has been paused for over a week now

The council’s “botched” move to a new parking system has been criticised by residents.

Waltham Forest Council had been due to switch from RingGo to MiPermit on Wednesday 1st July, with a two‑day pause in permit bay enforcement (29th and 30th June) while the changeover took place.

But this pause has been extended until Monday, 14th July, while the council attempts to ensure that migration issues are resolved.

Residents using the MiPermit app have encountered issues with its map, with their parking zones not appearing, leaving them unable to use it.

One resident writing on social media called for a “partial refund or permits extended by a week” due to the lack of enforcement, adding: “Paying for a service and not receiving it is not really acceptable.”

Some have told the Echo they have been put on hold for hours while trying to ring the support number provided by the council.

When the council first announced it was moving to MiPermit, it said the new parking provider would offer “faster approvals and simpler account management, allowing users to apply, pay, renew and track permit usage in one place”.

In a statement published on the council’s website, Waltham Forest deputy leader Eva Tabassam, said: “Many residents are rightly frustrated about the issues that they have experienced following the introduction of the new MiPermit parking permit system. I share this frustration.

“We are in close contact with MiPermit expressing our concerns about the issues residents have endured and we expect an in-depth response from the company this afternoon.

“When the previous administration agreed our parking contractor NSL’s decision to appoint MiPermit as sub-contractor to handle residential parking permits, council officers were assured the transition would be smooth and easy. In practice, it has been anything but that.

“The change to MiPermit was necessary after RingGo, the previous sub-contractor, decided to exit the residential parking permit market. This meant there was no choice but to find a new sub-contractor to ensure continuity of service. MiPermit is an established provider with over twenty years’ experience in this market and already delivers this service to many authorities UK-wide.

“I apologise to residents again for this situation. We have decided to suspend enforcement of residential parking bays for a further week, until 10am on Tuesday 14 July. We will make sure any tickets residents or visitors receive in error related to parking in residential permit bays during the waiver period are withdrawn.”

You can access information about using the MiPermit app here

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