Unity5: From Application To Enforcement

Managing your On and Off-Street Permit System, especially in busy urban areas, presents a constant balancing act for UK Local Authorities. Councils strive to provide essential services to residents and businesses while efficiently managing demand and ensuring compliance. However, many find themselves battling the limitations of outdated methods, turning what should be a seamless process into a bureaucratic hurdle.

This is where a modern On-Street permit system could make a difference.

How current On-Street Permit Systems fall short

Many UK Local Authorities managing On-Street Permit Systems grapple with a range of common pain points that hinder their effectiveness and public perception:

• The trouble with paper and manual processes: In 2025, some Local Authorities still rely heavily on paper applications, physical permit printing, and manual data entry. This isn’t just inefficient; it’s prone to errors, creates a significant administrative backlog, and delays the entire permit issuance process. Staff spend valuable time on repetitive tasks instead of addressing more complex inquiries or improving services.

• Lack of flexibility and adaptability: The needs of communities evolve. New residential zones emerge, environmental policies shift (e.g., encouraging lower emissions), and councils need the ability to quickly introduce new permit types, update complex eligibility criteria including the introduction of emission based permitting, or adjust pricing. Rigid, legacy on-street permit systems often require complex IT interventions for simple changes, leading to frustration and an inability to respond swiftly to policy shifts or public demand.
• Sub-optimal resident experience: Residents expect modern, 24/7 digital services. When applying for an on-street permit system means filling out paper forms, visiting council offices, or waiting weeks for approval, it creates a negative impression and generates a high volume of time-consuming phone calls and enquiries for council staff.
• Challenges in enforcement and compliance: Without real-time information, enforcement can become a game of catch-up. Officers on the street need instant access to permit validity, and inefficient data flow between application and enforcement can lead to missed contraventions or unnecessary disputes.
• Security concerns and audit trail gaps: Manual or fragmented systems can make it harder to maintain a clear audit trail of applications, approvals, and payments, potentially increasing the risk of errors or even misuse. Ensuring data security is paramount for sensitive resident information.

Zatpermit: A Seamless Solution for Your On-Street Permit System

Zatpermit offers a comprehensive On-Street Permit System designed to directly address these challenges, transforming the entire permit lifecycle from initial application to efficient enforcement. It provides cost-effective, flexible management of parking permits at scale, helping councils enhance their digital transformation programmes.

Here’s how Zatpermit helps:

• Automated, available at the point of need: Zatpermit empowers residents with a 24/7 customer self-service portal. This intuitive interface allows applicants to easily manage their permits online, completing rule-based questionnaires that automatically guide them through eligibility. This dramatically reduces administrative burden for council staff, freeing them to focus on more complex tasks, and provides a transparent, convenient experience for residents.
• Auto-approval & streamlined administration: A core strength of Zatpermit’s on-street permit system is its auto-approval functionality. This feature, working hand-in-hand with configurable question response weighting, enables immediate approval or rejection of applications based on pre-defined criteria. This intelligent management of the approval process at scale significantly reduces manual interventions and delays, ensuring staff are deployed where they are most effective.
• Flexible permit types & environmental benefits: Councils gain full customisation over permit options, controlling pricing, locations, and date/time limitations. This includes support for CO2 Emissions based-permits and location-based permits, aligning your on-street permit system with modern environmental policies. The use of digital permits and virtual scratch card permits not only means fast issuing but also improves security (they can’t be lost or stolen) and offers clear environmental benefits by eliminating paper.
• Seamless integration for unified enforcement: Zatpermit integrates seamlessly with the wider Zatpark platform and Zatmobile solutions. This means your enforcement officers can efficiently verify permit validity in real-time using their handheld devices, directly linking on-street activity to your permit records. This integrated approach ensures that any captured data, including photos and electronic notes, is automatically uploaded and synchronised with the back-office, enabling automated Fixed Penalty Notice processing where applicable. The ability for officers to issue both PCNs and FPNs from a single mobile application maximises their efficiency on the street.
• Robust security and control: The system supports single sign-on authentication, preventing duplication of user credentials and minimising administration. Running on globally available cloud infrastructure, Zatpermit ensures a consistent, stable, and secure service, safeguarding sensitive data while providing full user access control and transaction logging for audit purposes.

By moving to a seamless on-street permit system like Zatpermit, UK Local Authorities can transform their operations. It’s about moving beyond the limitations of outdated methods and embracing a solution that delivers efficiency, adaptability, and an improved experience for everyone. From the moment an application is submitted to the comprehensive oversight of enforcement, Zatpermit provides the tools for smarter, more effective parking management.

Download the Zatpermit datasheet to learn more about how permit management automation and self-service can help your Local Authority.

About Unity5

Unity5 is the creator of Zatpark - SaaS Solutions For Parking, Enforcement and Environmental Management - Designed for private parking companies and public sector bodies, Zatpark delivers world-class features completely controlling and automating the full lifecycle of parking enforcement data, from issue to recovery action and every step in-between. Built-in ANPR, Moving Traffic Violation Management and dedicated Permit and Kiosk solutions, Zatpark, Zatmobile, Zatpermit, Zatenviro, and Zatpark Flexible Enforcement provide end-to-end management of all your PCN and FPN activities