THE BIG INTERVIEW
FEATURE
course, the public.’ This can at times lead to conflicting priorities and objectives. ‘Cambridge City Council has a clear vision and commitment to reducing the city’s carbon footprint and invests a lot of time and effort in finding new initiatives to address this. In parking terms this could mean encouraging fewer vehicles into the city at peak times. However, the impact of this on retailers and on the Council’s income has the potential to be serious, so clear planning and communication is key to ensuring that both areas are managed effectively. As a service we are also committed to getting people to use alternative forms of transport in and around the city, such as electric vehicles and bicycles. ‘Ultimately, we all want to showcase Cambridge, but how that is done depends upon which stakeholder you are talking to.’ Cleary uses the example of the Grand Arcade six-story MSCP. The Arcade is the jewel in the city’s retail crown and the car park is vital for its thousands of visitors, who are, in turn, the retailers’ lifeblood. When there were some major gas works to be carried out, access to this car park was limited, with the potential to cause retailers a substantial loss in trade.
causes predictable overlaps and blurring of the lines of responsibility, and at times requires Cleary’s time in meetings and negotiations with members and officers of both the city and county council. Working across departments within the city council and encouraging out-of-the-box thinking is one of the best aspects of Cleary’s role. ‘One very interesting part of my job is the scope it gives me to challenge other departments into thinking creatively,’ he says. ‘My service is involved in a wide variety of large-scale procurement projects and, as a result, we have significantly improved our commercial awareness, particularly when it comes to specification design and contract management.’ This is even more evident when encompassing additional partners in a tender, thus allowing for substantial savings on contracts overall.
A wide network Co-operating with a wide range of stakeholders is a part of the job that Cleary finds particularly stimulating. ‘I work with a number of stakeholders – retailers, councillors, equipment manufacturers, council departments and, of
www.britishparking.co.uk
I was at a crossroads and was considering
what direction to take next when this [operations manager] position was advertised, which interested me because of the commercial approach that was needed
Seeing the bigger picture ‘That was a tough one to negotiate,’ says Cleary. ‘On the one hand you have your stakeholders, the shop owners, to consider but ultimately you have to see the bigger picture. The gas works had to be done, so it was a question of working with what you had, and trying to limit the damage to trade and reputation by directing shoppers to alternative parking.’
Negotiating has become a fine art for Cleary. The city’s historic centre, with the River Cam running through it, is the venue for many events. The traditional Midsummer Fair – one of the oldest in the country – Strawberry Fair, the Folk Festival, Bonfire Night, the Festival of Eid, Olympic relay and Party in the Park all take place in and around the central city parks and open spaces, and on-street parking at times has to be suspended or restricted for hours – or sometimes for days – as a result. The most challenging event recently was the re-introduction of the Cambridge half marathon into the yearly calendar. ‘Unfortunately, we were only made aware of the route a few weeks prior to the event and were informed that we were going to have restrictions to car parks as a result,’ said Cleary, with a rueful smile that suggested the
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