CONTROVERSIAL Sunday car parking charges due to be introduced by Somerset Council next month have been postponed until some time in 2026.

The council had promised to carry out public consultation to listen to the public’s views before introducing the fees in October.

But with charges due to start in five weeks’ time, a belated six-week consultation was only launched on Monday (September 8).

Now, any final decision on Sunday charges will not be taken by council executive members until December 3, with any implementation not happening until a date still to be confirmed in 2026.

The impact on the bankruptcy-threatened council’s finances will also need to be considered because income from the fees was written into its budget when it was agreed in March.

Somerset executive Cllr Richard Wilkins said: “I would encourage everybody to have their say.

“This is a really important consultation and we will be considering everybody’s views before final decisions are taken.

“We have many car parks in Somerset and there are significant costs and challenges involved in running and maintaining them.

“The proposal is about ensuring more consistency and fairness in charges across the county and in turn the extra income will help ensure the parking service is fully self-financed and can continue to be run, staffed, and maintained properly.”

Cllr Wilkins said currently there were different charging principles across the county’s 200-plus council car parks, which had not been reviewed since the unitary authority was formed in 2023.

He said the consultation was the start of a process aimed at harmonising charging practices across the county.

The consultation, approved by the executive earlier in the year, gave people an opportunity to have their say before any final decisions were taken.

Cllr Wilkins said the executive had also committed to public consultation on the potential introduction of on-street charging - after a free 30-minute period - and charges for car parks which were previously free, such as those in Wiveliscombe, Milverton, and Springfield Road, Wellington.

He said the proposals would be developed following further engagement on a community by community basis with local councillors and town and parish councils, and further public consultation.

Cllr Wilkins said there was a desire to bring consistency across Somerset while also ensuring the parking service continued to be completely self-funded to cover staffing, serving and administrating penalty notices, and managing and maintaining car parks to a high level.

The Sunday parking charges consultation for individuals and businesses runs online from September 8 until October 20, with paper copies avaiable on request from public libraries.

The results will be considered at the council’s climate and place scrutiny committee, which has a meeting scheduled for October 23, before final decisions are taken by executive councillors in December.

Residents in Wiveliscombe and Milverton have been protesting at the proposed loss of their free car parks and the impact on local businesses, with little on-street space available.

Wellington Town Council has asked the unitary authority to give it ownership of the free Springfield Road car park.