Panel of Experts
EXPERT PANEL PARKING In our first Health Business Panel of Experts we are joined by representatives from National Car Parks, Smart Parking, Debt Recovery Plus and WPS Parking to discuss the current state of parking on NHS sites
Fraser Richards, Smart Parking
Stewart Clure, Debt Recovery Plus
Lee Holland, National Car Parks
Simon Jarvis, WPS
Fraser joined Smart Parking in 2014. An exceptional cross-party communicator and strategic thinker, he was promoted to National Accounts and Client Services Director in May of 2018. Prior to joining Smart Parking, Fraser spent over three decades in the Royal Navy, which saw him hone his strategic analytical experience. Possessing two Masters’ Degrees, he is used to working under pressure and supports the necessity for open communication.
Stewart joined Debt Recovery Plus in 2015, having previously spent five years working in the private parking sector. Through his experience of working with clients on retail, commercial, NHS and various other sites, Stewart was able to bring his knowledge of the industry to DRP. Since graduating from Leeds University with a 2:1 in Maths, Stewart worked on the Barclays Graduate Scheme before ending up at Savills.
Lee joined NCP as the Property Director in 2009, taking commercial, technical and strategic responsibility for the Property Portfolio, which includes new site acquisition, property development, construction and maintenance. He joined NCP after 24 years with major UK Utilities where he undertook a number of different senior roles.
Simon Jarvis is the UK Managing Director for WPS, a global leader in parking systems for over 25 years, with a long-held reputation for engineering excellence and providing the industry’s most reliable solutions. It is part of Dynniq, a dynamic, high-tech and innovative company with a comprehensive knowledge of managing mobility, parking and energy using advanced systems engineering.
The government has recently announced a new project, to be led by the British Parking Association (BPA), which will create and deliver new world-leading national parking data standards, set to revolutionise the way drivers find, book and pay for parking. Set to increase parking accessibility to places across the country, notably town centres and the high street, the move has been dubbed as having the potential to transform the way we drive and park, just as the Oyster card transformed the way we travel in London. The ambition is for all parking data released by local councils and companies across the country to use the same language, with the
development of parking apps and smarter connected vehicles on our roads meaning that data could identify available parking spaces, permitted times and price. This could have an important knock-on effect for hospital parking. Good quality, well designed and properly maintained parking provision is vital to the success of Britain’s hospitals and healthcare facilities through the setting and raising of standards. Parking at hospitals and healthcare services is always going to be a soft target for the media to tell a good story about how not to do it. However, the BPA believes that providing, managing and charging
for parking at healthcare facilities needs to be seen in the context of delivering a better and fairer service to users. So given the limited funds and resources of the public sector, what are the arguments for spending tight budgets on parking? Income streams Lee Holland, of NCP, stresses that car parking revenue provides an ever-important income stream, helping to support the main hospital functions as well as giving NHS trusts the ability to develop new facilities. This is becoming increasingly important as hospitals increase their individual specialisms.
