DESPITE years of discussion over the pros and cons of decriminalising parking in West Somerset, it seems no study has ever been carried out into the feasibility of such a scheme.

In fact, West Somerset District Council's own internal auditors could find no evidence of any financial analysis being done on the subject, despite a widely held belief within the authority that decriminalising parking was not a viable option.

But internal auditors Deloitte Touche did find evidence of a decision taken by the council in 1997 to introduce decriminalised parking enforcement (DPE) across the district.

However, that scheme was never implemented and no evidence could be found to explain why.

The auditors also discovered that lack of information was the main problem facing council officers who had to deal with car parking issues on a day-to-day basis.

They found complaints had not been passed on to the people who could resolve them, while councillors on both sides of the DPE argument blamed lack of information for both the non-implementation of such a scheme and for it being considered as a non-viable option.

A report by the auditors to this Monday's meeting of the authority's overview and scrutiny committee states that there is simply not enough information available to make a decision on the issue.

However, they acknowledge that "costly consultant work" may not be the answer either.

The auditors had been asked by the committee to investigate the possibility of using DPE to solve parking problems in certain areas of the district.

The report notes that DPE tends to be suited to more populated areas, although its exact impact in West Somerset was not known. The authority had failed to monitor the progress of schemes already up and running elsewhere in order to make comparisons, despite claims that it would.

The report states: "Our review highlighted the fact there is still work to do within the council to agree the viability of DPE.

"We experienced varying points of view and criticisms were made of the extent of information that has been made available.

"We were informed that parking difficulties had not been fully brought to the attention of operational staff and that the lack of cost-benefit analysis had led to decision-makers being deprived of important information.

"Nevertheless, a significant amount of work has been done on considering the implications of DPE for West Somerset District Council."

According to Somerset County Council, the district authority had shown "tentative, yet continuous interest" in DPE, while work had been done in the past to ask "key bodies", such as the police, cabinet members and traffic wardens, for their views on the subject.

Under DPE rules, parking offences in DPE areas are decriminalised meaning penalty notices are issued by and paid to the local authority, rather than through a court fine.

The police retain responsibility for 'moving traffic offences' and for offences that could lead to points being put on a driver's licence, for example parking on the zigzags before a pedestrian crossing.

During their investigation, the auditors were "made aware" that DPE could be the answer to parking problems in The Square, in Dulverton, and Blenheim Road, Durham Road and Summerland Avenue, in Minehead.

But their report concludes: "Those specifically involved with the control and management of car parking do not regard DPE as a viable option.

"The costs of setting up and running DPE have always been perceived to outweigh the benefits.

"Resourcing the scheme was regarded as a difficulty, generating greater focus on the possibilities of the police and WSDC sharing resources under agreement, rather than rolling out the full DPE scheme.

"There was also a widely held point of view that the parking difficulties experienced by WSDC did not even justify an initial feasibility study."

It continues: "The factors outlined above remain pivotal in the current and future status of DPE in the district.

"Despite research, we were unable to determine whether a feasibility study or financial analysis had been carried out for DPE in West Somerset.

"In order for DPE to be seriously considered, further work is required, including a feasibility study and financial analysis of predicted outcomes."

The auditors recommend that consultation be carried out with all "interested parties", but note there are no current or future plans to implement DPE in the district.