Transport staff at Moray Council have been told to maintain a watchful eye over parking in Elgin’s town centre.
A shake-up of charges was introduced last year in order to free up spaces in the town for commuters and shoppers.
The move has been hailed as a success, with the authority also banking an additional £160,000 to support budgets across the year.
Elgin City South councillor John Divers, however, believes issues with cars blocking spaces in residential streets instead of using car parks remain a concern.
He said: “We did have a parking strategy that was going to address this issue but it appears as though it has been kicked into the long grass.
“I check car parks regularly myself and have observed Moray Street about 30% full and St Giles about 10% full. That gives me concerns.”
Figures published by Moray Council showed the average occupancy of all car parks in Elgin during 2018/19 was 55%.
Transport manager Nicola Moss said the sites were performing in line with expectations.
She said: “Some are slightly lower than expected and some slightly in excess. The income backs up the occupancy data we have.”
Concerns car parks in Elgin town centre are being underused