The return of traffic wardens to the streets of Dumfries and Galloway could still be more than a year away.
Councillors agreed to go ahead with decriminalised parking enforcement (DPE) proposals in April, paving the way for wardens to patrol the streets and issue tickets to drivers.
The next stage is an application to Transport Scotland, which could take 12 months to approve.
And Scotland’s Finance Minister Shona Robison has now revealed the application has still to be lodged – with the council admitting that is unlikely to take place until December.
The matter came to light when South Scotland MSP Emma Harper asked Ms Robison about DPE as a possible revenue streams for councils.
She said: “Dumfries and Galloway Council is currently applying for decriminalised parking enforcement – its application is with Transport Scotland. Although I agree that it should be about enforcement and not revenue, given the revenue that has been generated by many other local authorities, can the minister give an indication of the timescale in which Transport Scotland will provide a decision on the application?
“Does she agree that decriminalised parking enforcement also has the ability to better address illegal parking and make our communities more accessible for those with disabilities?”
Ms Robison replied: “Transport Scotland officials have been in ongoing discussions with Dumfries and Galloway Council regarding decriminalised parking enforcement, but it is yet to receive a completed application. Once an application is received, it can take in the region of 12 months to bring DPE powers into force, due to the time that it takes to draft, consult on and lay the necessary Scottish statutory instrument.
“Local authorities are best placed to determine whether taking on DPE powers is the best way to address illegal parking in their areas, but I encourage those without DPE to consider investigating whether it would be beneficial.”
A council spokesman said: “The Dumfries and Galloway regional parking strategy and action plan was approved at the council’s communities committee on April 2. This included our approach to decriminalised parking enforcement.
“The council is finalising the formal DPE application that is intended to be submitted to Scottish Ministers by December this year. We are working to ensure the appropriate supports are in place in preparation for the implementation of DPE.”
Once DPE is introduced, the council plans to have six traffic wardens operating across the region. There will be no parking charges and the communities committee was told in April that an income target of £412,781 would be needed in 2025/26 to cover the costs of the scheme, including wardens, implementation and marketing.
Once the scheme is fully up and running, the income target drops to £309,586 annually.