A report to the Environment and Sustainability Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel on Monday 3 February will look at the different ways of introducing decriminalised parking enforcement (DPE) in West Lothian in the future.
Currently only Police Scotland can enforce parking in West Lothian. The council would need to apply to the Scottish Government to take over responsibility for road parking offences.
If approved, this legal process for this takes around two years, so any DPE scheme would not be implemented in West Lothian before mid-2027 at the earliest.
So far 22 of Scotland's 32 local authorities have introduced DPE, with another one in progress, leaving West Lothian among the remaining nine still to do so.
Benefits of the scheme could include: better enforcement of illegal parking to help those with Blue Badges; improved traffic flow though reduced obstructions and promoting use of public transport.
Potential difficulties of implementing a scheme could be a rejection of the application by the Scottish Government, the financial viability of a scheme and the costs associated in forward funding the implementation and operation of a scheme.
Among the different options being considered for the delivery and funding of DPE include an in-house or outsourced service for carrying out enforcement, as well as leasing off-street car parks. Charges being considered could range from £0.50 for a stay of up to two hours in long-stay car park up to £6 for an all-day stay at a busy town centre car park, along with free parking at other times.
All the options being considered would require the council to forward fund the required levels of investment to implement a DPE scheme with income from options for charging offsetting these costs in subsequent years.
