TOWN councillors have been left frustrated by the lack of progress at Somerset Council on finding out how much it would cost to install new signs at car parks in Wellington.

Signs telling people information about how to pay and how much at the car parks in North Street, Longforth Road, and South Street have been greatly criticised in recent years by local councillors who have highlighted how defective and shoddy they appear.

Cllr Keith Wheatley has taken it upon himself to wage a campaign against Somerset Council, which owns the car parks, to do something about the signs.

But, he is beginning to get exasperated at how slow Somerset Council is working in trying to rectify the situation.

He told members of Wellington Town Council’s economic development committee on February 11 that it was almost becoming laughable.

Cllr Wheatley, said: “I received an email from Somerset Council on July 11 telling me they were making steady progress and obtaining samples from suppliers for new signs,”

But, councillors heard that he had just received another email from Somerset Council, seven months on, to tell him that work on the unitary authority getting quotes was ‘still ongoing’ and that they were working with the suppliers to get the relevant information.

Cllr Wheatley said: “If they cannot get some quotes and prices from their suppliers in seven months – they need to get new suppliers.

“This is all rather mind-numbingly pathetic and hopeless inefficiency.”

He said the car park signs looked awful, were cluttered with posters, and that ticket machines were also covered in bits of sticky tape.

Cllr Wheatley, speaking previously about the signs, said: “For many people who do not live here, the first impression visitors to the town get will be the car parks in North Street, Longforth Road, and South Street.

“But, when they go to get a ticket and they look at the signs they will be thinking – what sort of town is this?

“The signs are ugly, unimaginative, and shabby.”

Councillors were even less impressed when they heard that while they had been waiting months for news of car park signage, new Somerset Council advertisement signs had ‘shot up in a flash’ on local roundabouts asking for sponsorship from businesses.

It was back in 2024 when Cllr Wheatley first raised the problem of defective and shoddy signs at car parks and Somerset Council had admitted to him they were in a ‘very bad state’.

He said in October, 2024, that Somerset Council was ‘looking at car park signage across the county with a view to improving’, but nearly 18 months on and Cllr Wheatley is still awaiting a positive result.

Cllr Wheatley had previously said that he would not let Somerset Council ‘off the hook’ about the signs and that is still very much the case.

Town councillors previously asked to take over Wellington’s three public car parks from the unitary authority when a devolution package was being negotiated last year, but were refused because Somerset Council makes money from them.