LIBERAL Democrat councillors will urge their Vale of White Horse District Council colleagues to agree that civil parking enforcement should be introduced.

The leader of the Lib Dem group, Emily Smith, will say that a business case should be carried out by the council to see whether it could take over parking enforcement responsibilities from Thames Valley Police as early as next year.

It has been mooted in the district a number of times over the last decade but has never been fully adopted. It has already been adopted by Oxford City Council.

As part of the motion to council, the Lib Dem will say: “Thames Valley Police are stretched to capacity, and that parking enforcement is one of their lowest priorities

“Members are regularly contacted by residents about inconvenient, illegal and dangerous parking violations that aren’t being enforced.”

She will say tonight that Vale council already has the power to introduce parking enforcement – and that it must now agree to do so in principle.

As part of the Lib Dems’ plan, the council would instruct its officers to produce a business case – including looking at the financial cost, potential income, delivery options and timescale – with a view of it being adopted in the budget for 2019/20.