A scheme to curb illegal parking has been delayed again, according to the leader of the district council.

Councillor Neil Parkin claims West Sussex County Council has put off plans to place six NCP parking wardens in the Adur district from September because it does not have the manpower to carry out a review of the parking in the district.

He said the scheme will not be implemented until January 2009, nine months later then originally planned.

He said: "We have been without traffic wardens for about two years. The police community support officers are going out as much as they can.

"We have parking on double yellow lines, parking on pavements and vehicles parking on corners."

He said the problem of illegal parking was particularly bad in Shoreham town centre and the main shopping area in Lancing.

He said he had not been officially told the scheme was being delayed but that it was announced at the end of an Adur Council Local Committee meeting last week.

Attendants employed by NCP have been patrolling neighbouring Worthing since September when powers to issue fines switched from the police to the local authority. They issued £24,000 of fines for illegal parking in just one week.

Adur District Council has been given the option of managing its own parking enforcement contract but cannot do that until 2012 because of lack of funding.

Coun Parkin said: "There are a couple culprits in Shoreham who regularly park up on the pavement but it means people with buggies and people in wheelchairs cannot get round them and it is not on.

"I am not very happy and I would like an assurance there will be no further delays."

West Sussex county councillor Tex Pemberton, with responsibility for highways, said he had made no decisions about the parking.

He said: "The only person who makes such a decision in highways and transport is me.

"I am aware my officers have sent me a briefing note outlining some difficulties in negotiations about the business case. I have yet to study the briefing note to see what they are saying but no such decision has been made contrary to the leader of Adur's comments because it would come from me.

"I am anxious to bring in civilian enforcement as soon as possible and my target all along has been September of this year.

"Should there be any delay in the process, including decisions of the business case, that would naturally mean there could be slippage. I want to try to avoid this to make sure we are round the table at any opportunity and working to a common objective in Adur by September.

"I hope I can achieve that and it will only be possible if the councils can work together, which I am sure we can."

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