Elgin Community Council is calling for £20 million of government cash to be spent solving the town’s illegal parking problems.
The group wants the UK Government money to be used so Moray Council can take control of issuing fines.
And it wants more parking attendants to be employed to enforce rules.
There have been problems for years with motorists leaving their vehicles on double yellow lines.
People driving through pedestrianised areas in the town centre have also been an issue.
Elgin’s biggest problem – illegal parking
At the moment Police Scotland is responsible for handing out fines for illegal parking.
But the community council wants the local authority to take charge.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the £20 million for Elgin as part of the Long-term Plan for Towns approach.
It is expected to come in instalments of £2 million over the next 10 years.
Community council Chairman Alastair Kennedy said: “What’s the biggest problem facing Elgin at the moment? – it’s illegal parking.
“There’s £2 million a year coming, and we need to use that to get some wardens in place.
“We’ve been round and round and round the place with this issue.
“And it would be nice to sit here and say the parking problems in Elgin are solved.”
If the local authority is to take on responsibility, it would have to go through a decriminalised parking enforcement process.
That is expected to cost around £400,000, and would cover the whole of Moray.
However, there could be an option for it to apply to a smaller area such as Elgin town centre.
Bollards for Elgin High Street
Attendants already patrol Moray Council car parks and can issue fines for those who have not paid the fee.
It is expected to cost around £40,000 a year to employ another member of staff to carry out those duties.
However community council member Graham Jarvis warned the group to “take nothing for granted” when it came to the promise of money.
Doubling charges at low turnover car parks in the town from £1 to £2 was criticised by the group.
The rise, which will start in January, is expected to bring in an extra £414,000 a year to the council.
That is on top of more than £800,000 it gets from parking fees annually.
Building work has affected traffic
There was some good news for the community council at their meeting this week.
Elgin South councillor Graham Leadbitter revealed the local authority is commissioning design work to install rise and fall bollards on the west side of the pedestrianised area of the High Street.
Traffic problems in the area have been compounded by work being carried out on the Poundland building.
Scaffolding around the site stops vehicles getting down North Street. Traffic is detouring up Batchen Street, which is supposed to be pedestrianised.
Mr Leadbitter said: “That should help resolve the problems with parking on the High Street.
“Because nobody wants their car impaled on a rise and fall bollard.”
Work on the store is expected to be completed in spring next year.
Elgin is the only town in Moray where car park fees are charged.
The move to use the £20 million to tackle parking issues faces competition.
The town centre, Cooper Park, Elgin Town Hall and Grant Lodge are among the projects already being considered for the money, as well as improvements to the High Street.
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