For years, residents across Ely, Soham, Littleport and the surrounding villages have complained about dangerous parking, blocked pavements, congestion around schools, and the lack of a reliable enforcement presence.
Many believed that East Cambridgeshire District Council was inching towards adopting Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE)—a system adopted by 98 per cent of local authorities across England.
Freedom of Information disclosures to CambsNews show that between 2021 and 2024, the council repeatedly budgeted substantial sums for CPE, received police updates supporting the idea of stronger local enforcement, and acknowledged that community‑based policing schemes had stalled.
Yet on 24 February 2026, in a pair of knife‑edge debates at Full Council, councillors voted twice against progressing CPE—despite conceding it is one of the most frequent concerns raised by their residents.
This is the story of how East Cambridgeshire appeared to prepare for Civil Parking Enforcement for half a decade, only to reverse course when the moment of decision finally arrived.
Years of plans, political deadlock and an ongoing war of words has left East Cambridgeshire without any meaningful solution to curbing illegal parking across Ely, Soham and Littleport.
And that is despite the widely circulated belief five years ago of Cllr Anna Bailey, leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council, that she had cracked it after coming up with an ambitious but ultimately futile solution.
A series of Freedom of Information requests to both the council and Cambridgeshire Constabulary submitted by CambsNews exposes the folly of her rationale and the brutal reality that only local government reorganisation – at least two years away – could finally resolve the impasse.
A few weeks ago, only the casting vote of the chair – the council is locked in a Conservatives and Lib Dem/Independent stalemate – blocked progress towards civil parking enforcement that would allow the council to assume the powers now held by police to regulate parking.
East Cambridgeshire (and Fenland) are among the last of the local authorities across the country to adopt CPE and residents, businesses and visitors to both areas experience daily the frustrations associated with a cavalier approach to parking with minimal control, save for the days when police can spare officers for a few hours to carry out enforcement.
Five years ago, and in a social media post, Cllr Bailey boasted that she had found a way round CPE by using volunteers to “carry out enforcement activity and issue car parking tickets so that residents are not inconvenienced with obstructive and anti-social car parking”.
It was a false dawn.
She claimed this would be “a much better alternative than the horribly bureaucratic and costly method where car parking offences are decriminalised under a process known as CPE”. By using a clause in the Police and Crime Act 2017 she claimed this would produce a positive result for East Cambs and maintain their ability to keep car parks free of charge yet at the same time crack down on illegal parking.
In 2021, East Cambs proposed a Cambridgeshire Police pilot to integrate community‑based enforcement under the Police and Crime Act. It never happened. The FOI response confirms this: “The pilot scheme for community-based enforcement did not take place so a review of the outcomes was not required.”
The project collapsed under vetting delays and the national Police Uplift Programme
Two internal updates sent to all district and parish councillors, disclosed under FOI, describe an evolving role for volunteer Road Safety Officers.
In October 2023, the council said volunteers would have wide‑ranging powers: “The volunteers would have a range of powers including the ability to enforce parking infringements, speeding enforcement, and potentially… mobile phone usage and the wearing of seatbelts.”
But by December 2023, Superintendent James Sutherland had scaled this back significantly: “Initially their remit… be limited to road-safety issues, i.e. speeding and dangerous parking.”
And even then, the Constabulary hoped to staff the pilot using Special Constables because vetting remained an obstacle.
“The aim is to launch the pilot in Spring 2024.”
But—as with earlier attempts—no such pilot ever materialised.
While complaints about dangerous and inconsiderate parking continue to rise, East Cambridgeshire District Council remains locked in a political stalemate—one that has now spilled out from the council chamber into public sparring between Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
By the time councillors gathered on 24 February 2026, the issue had been building for years.
Opposition members—primarily Liberal Democrats—came armed with a proposal they argued was long overdue: fund and implement Civil Parking Enforcement.
Moving the amendment, Cllr Lorna Dupré did not mince her words: “This is what residents are asking for… residents clearly wanted action taken on poorly parked cars and the amendment funded ongoing Civil Parking Enforcement.”
Her colleague, Cllr Mark Inskip, framed it in terms of public safety: “Investing £600,000 in Civil Parking Enforcement… would address dangerous parking in the district.”
And Cllr Charlotte Cane, also the MP for East Cambridgeshire, underlined the scale of the issue: parking, she said, is “a major concern”.
Across the opposition benches, the message was consistent: the problem is obvious, the solution is available, and the time for delay has passed.
The Conservative-led administration hit back.
Council Leader Cllr Anna Bailey rejected the premise of the proposal outright claiming that Civil Parking Enforcement “was the responsibility of the county council… the funds in the amendment seemed insufficient.”
This was not just about money. It was about principle.
Repeatedly, Conservative councillors argued that East Cambridgeshire District Council should not take on powers that legally sit with Cambridgeshire County Council.
Cllr Alan Sharp sought to downplay the effectiveness of CPE itself: “Drivers were usually given five minutes to move a poorly parked car, so civil parking enforcement would not completely solve the problem.”
Cllr Lucius Vellacott raised concerns about cost: “The capital cost of civil parking enforcement in Fenland had been approximately £1m and so the proposed £600,000 was inadequate.”
Then came the moment that now defines the debate.
The vote split: 14–14.
A perfect political stalemate.
Under council rules, the chair cast the deciding vote—against the proposal. Civil Parking Enforcement funding was defeated.
Round two—and the same result
Later that evening, the issue came back again.
This time, opposition councillors attempted a different route: adding CPE to the list of projects eligible for Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding.
Again, the arguments were framed around residents.
Cllr Inskip said: “Civil Parking Enforcement should be added… to help address a major concern for residents.”
Cllr Dupré warned that people were “deeply concerned” about dangerous parking.
But again, the administration refused to budge.
Cllr Bailey reiterated that CPE did not meet the criteria and was not the district’s role.
Cllr Alan Sharp warned it would “delay implementation” of other priorities.
Cllr Martin Goodearl was blunt: CIL “should not be used for parking enforcement.”
The vote?
14–14.
Again.
And again, the chair’s casting vote killed the proposal.
Two debates. Two ties. Two decisive interventions.
From council chamber to social media battlefield
If the council chamber exposed the divide, social media has amplified it.
Cllr Anna Bailey has been outspoken in her opposition to Civil Parking Enforcement—and in her criticism of Liberal Democrat calls for its introduction.
In a December 2025 post, she drew a direct contrast with neighbouring authorities: “What a surprise (not) – following the implementation of civil parking enforcement (CPE) Huntingdonshire District Council is proposing to increase its car parking charges…”
She then set out what she sees as East Cambridgeshire’s alternative model:
“In East Cambs the Police are responsible for on street car parking enforcement
“In East Cambs car parking in our city and town centres is free: £0
“In East Cambs we have frozen the District Council’s share of Council Tax for 12 years
“In East Cambs Conservatives run the council”
And then came the political sting—aimed squarely at the Liberal Democrats:
“BTW: If the Lib Dems want to bring in CPE in East Cambs (which they say they do), it can ONLY be brought in – by law – by Cambridgeshire County Council as the highways authority, which is run by…you guessed it, the Lib Dems!”
It is a line that encapsulates the Conservative argument: if CPE is the answer, why haven’t the Lib Dems delivered it at county level?
Five years on, the alternative system of recruiting volunteers – so earnestly championed by Cllr Bailey – has not materialised.
The police pilot never launched.
Volunteer enforcement schemes were scaled back and stalled.
Special Constable-led models failed to get off the ground.
And the result is a system that relies almost entirely on reactive policing.
FOI disclosures confirm this reality. In Ely, officers issued “over 150 tickets… in the space of 4 months”—but only as part of a targeted operation.
Away from the debates and social media posts, the situation on the ground remains unchanged.
Parking is still free in Ely, Soham and Littleport.
But enforcement remains inconsistent.
Police resources are stretched.
And residents continue to report the same issues—year after year.
What makes East Cambridgeshire unusual is not just its policy. It is its paralysis.
The FOI evidence shows:
- Years of preparation for CPE
- Recognition that policing alone is insufficient
- Acknowledgement of widespread public concern
And yet, when forced to decide, the council split exactly in half.
Twice.
One vote, two outcomes, no resolution
In the end, Civil Parking Enforcement in East Cambridgeshire was not defeated by a clear majority.
It was stopped by a single vote.
Twice in one night.
Meanwhile residents continue to navigate blocked streets and dangerous junctions; it is visible—every single day.
