Haringey Council is set to appoint multiple enforcement agencies to collect outstanding parking ticket debt, a move aimed at mitigating risks and improving recovery rates. The decision, approved by Councillor Seema Chandwani, Cabinet Member for Resident Services & Tackling Inequality, will see the council initiate a procurement process to select several agencies. This contrasts with the current system, which relies on a single provider, CDER Group, to handle approximately 70,000 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) annually.

The council stated that relying on a single agency poses an unacceptable risk, as any disruption to their services could halt debt recovery. By diversifying to multiple providers, Haringey aims to ensure service continuity. The current collection rate of CDER Group is between 16-20% by number of warrants paid in full. The aim of increasing the number of Enforcement Agents and competition of work is for providers to recover more than 20% of allocated warrants.

Furthermore, the introduction of competition among enforcement agencies is expected to drive up collection rates. The revised contract specifications will also include a more robust governance and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) structure. The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that will be used to monitor the performance of the enforcement agencies include:

Financial KPIs:

  • KPI 1: % recovery by number of fully paid recovery orders vs total number of recovery orders issued to date across all batches.
  • KPI 2: % recovery by number of fully paid and partially paid (where an instalment plan is active across all batches).
  • KPI 3: % of 'warrant alerts' attended within 1 hour with and without a positive outcome (payment, clamping and/or removal).

Operational KPIs:

  • KPI 4: % of statutory NOE issued by day 2.
  • KPI 5: % of reminders issued by day 7.
  • KPI 6: % of enforcement visits carried out by the Service Provider between days 14 – 21 following receipt of the recovery order and % compliance with the Service Provider's own enforcement plan.
  • KPI 7: % of planned visits 'aborted' due to the absence of video and/or recording devices.
  • KPI 8: % of requested responses provided to the Contracting Authority within 48 hours.
  • KPI 9: % ANPR deployed hours vs agreed deployment plan.

A significant financial benefit anticipated from this change is an estimated budget saving of approximately £600,000, as the new enforcement agencies will be responsible for the Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC) registration fee of £10.00 per PCN.

The council also emphasised that the updated contract specifications incorporate enhanced provisions for the ethical collection of debt, with a focus on protecting vulnerable individuals and balancing firmness with compassion. The revised specification details requirements for identifying and supporting vulnerable individuals, including categories such as those with ongoing mental illness, long-standing health conditions, learning disabilities, terminal illnesses, recent bereavements, the elderly, people with severe disabilities, those in the final stages of pregnancy, individuals experiencing severe social deprivation, and those with communication difficulties. Upon making initial contact, the enforcement agency must endeavor to establish if the debtor or their partner falls into specific categories of vulnerability. Depending on the identified vulnerability, measures such as allowing longer to pay, referral to independent advice, or temporarily halting enforcement action may be taken. The Service Provider will have a dedicated welfare team with clear procedures for identifying and supporting vulnerable individuals.

The procurement process will involve selecting a number of agencies, with the highest scoring three Service Providers at tender evaluation stage designated as 'active' and the remaining Service Providers as 'reserves'. 'Active' Service Providers can be replaced by 'reserve' Service Providers due to performance failures. The Contracting Authority reserves the right to decide the percentage of recovery orders allocated to each Service Provider, primarily based on performance against the conditions laid out in the specification and measurement against section 14 of the document. The full contract specification can be found in the Appendix 1 EA Specification and Code of Practice Final Reformat 20112025.pdf.

Alternative options considered included maintaining the status quo, which would have perpetuated existing risks, or undertaking joint procurement with other council services, which was deemed not feasible due to exceeding the YPO framework's £5.3 million ceiling. An alternative public procurement exercise was also considered but found to be less suitable than using the existing YPO framework. The procurement will utilise the YPO Framework, which Haringey Council already employs for other debt types.

The meeting was held on February 25, 2026, and the decision was to approve the initiation and execution of a procurement process. The contract is for a period of two years, with no option to extend further. The report was dated January 17, 2026, indicating the procurement process was initiated around that time.