Civil Parking Enforcement figures for Newport and Gwent region

The region's five local authorities began Civil Parking Enforcement on July 1 last year, taking over responsibility from Gwent Police.

The coronavirus lockdown brought a temporary pause to traffic wardens' patrols, but enforcement has resumed in some parts of Gwent in recent weeks.

READ MORE: Civil Parking Enforcement – when will it resume in my area?

Across the region, CPE officers have issued 36,145 parking charge notices since July 1 last year.

Here's how the first year of CPE has gone in your area:

Blaenau Gwent

The local authority has issued 2,100 parking tickets since July 1 last year, but CPE has been suspended in Blaenau Gwent since the end of March, when the lockdown began.

A spokeswoman for the council said CPE officers had helped identify areas where "contravention of parking restrictions are most prevalent or detrimental to highway safety".

Deploying traffic wardens to those areas "ensures compliance with parking restrictions", she added.

There are two CPE traffic wardens patrolling in Blaenau Gwent, but these are employed and managed by Caerphilly County Borough Council via a Service Level Agreement.

There are currently no plans to expand or change the CPE scheme in Blaenau Gwent.

Caerphilly

In the past year, traffic wardens in Caerphilly have issued 8,398 tickets for illegal parking.

A spokesman for the council said the CPE scheme had been "very effective" in improving the parking situation over the past year.

Caerphilly CBC currently employs 10 traffic wardens, of whom six are full-time and four are part-time staff; as well as two office-based CPE employees – a parking services officer and a parking services assistant. The council also employs two CPE officers who are based in Blaenau Gwent.

There are currently no plans to change or expand CPE in Caerphilly.

Monmouthshire

The county council has issued 2,175 parking charge notices since July 1 last year, and has praised the work of its CPE team.

"The limited enforcement prior to Monmouthshire council taking on CPE presented challenges at the start," a spokeswoman said. "However, officers have done an excellent job with establishing a presence within our towns and villages whilst maintaining a balanced approach between encouraging better parking with the need to take enforcement action."

She added: "The traffic team has received positive feedback on improved compliance with on-street parking at both known problem locations and responding to ad-hoc enquiries."

Monmouthshire council has employs eight people in its CPE team, comprising five traffic wardens, one supervisor, a civil enforcement manager, and a technical admin officer.

Plans to increase the number of CPE officers in Monmouthshire and expand the team's role have been put on hold due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but may be reviewed in future, the council said.

Newport

The city council said its officers had issued 19,900 parking tickets in the first year of the CPE scheme.

Of those, 10,328 parking charge notices were issued in the first three months after taking over CPE from Gwent Police, the Argus reported last November.

Speaking today, a Newport City Council spokesman said there had been "a marked improvement in parking behaviour from the majority of road users in the city" since the scheme began.

"Pedestrians are able to walk safely along unobstructed footways and vehicle access has improved due to junctions now being clear of offending parked vehicles," he added.

The council employs a team of 14 enforcement officers, and there are plans to widen the scope of the CPE operation, using technology.

"The service is soon to be expanded to include a camera car that will concentrate on monitoring illegal parking outside schools, which will improve safety for the benefit of both children and parents," the Newport council spokesman said.

"It will also be used to ensure bus stops and other public transport routes are clear of illegal parked vehicles."

Torfaen

CPE officers in Torfaen have issued 3,572 parking tickets in the past year.

A spokeswoman for the council said its CPE officers had made a difference to the area's parking situation.

We believe that CPE, in combination with the [local] authority's other road safety, traffic management and highway network management measures, has a positive impact on illegal parking throughout the borough," she said.

Torfaen council employs four enforcement officers, who cover both civil parking and environmental enforcement duties.