CONTROVERSIAL Sunday car parking charges are to come into force later this month after Somerset Council scrapped a promised public consultation.

The bankruptcy-threatened council announced plans to impose Sunday car park fees as it set its budget earlier in the year.

But, in response to a public backlash against the measure it offered to hold a consultation exercise before any changes were made.

Now, the council, which has cuts hundreds of jobs to save money, has admitted it does not have the resources to ask people what they think about the money-raising new charges and is going to go ahead anyway with effect from August 28.

The news was given to a highways working group meeting of its Wellington and Wiveliscombe local community network.

However, the council has postponed its plans to start charging in previously free car parks in Wiveliscombe and Milverton following community protests led by the authority’s Green party group leader Cllr Dave Mansell.

It said the delay would allow discussions to be held with Cllr Mansell and other local councillors, following which it expected to hold a public consultation later in the year.

The future for other free car parks in towns and villages including Wellington, Minehead, Blue Anchor, Kilve, and Wheddon Cross was unclear.

The council is also planning to bring in on-street parking in towns such as Minehead for the first time, but has not said when they will begin, although as a concession to opposition it will allow 30 minutes free.

Additional plans for overnight charges in all of the council’s more than 200 car parks across Somerset were dropped in March when nearly 3,000 people signed an online protest petition against the move.

The council said the new charging regime would ensure there was ‘consistency’ in car parking across all of Somerset’s different communities.