NORTH Lanarkshire Council has appointed a contractor to carry out signage works as part of its parking enforcement strategy.

The contract, worth over £150,000, has been awarded to Blantyre firm Phoenix Specialist Solutions.

A council spokesperson said: “This three-year contract provides for the maintenance of our existing waiting and loading restrictions lines and signs across North Lanarkshire, as well as allowing for new markings associated with disabled parking bay requests. By keeping our lines and signs in good order, we are ensuring that drivers are aware of where they can park safely.

“Later this year, the council will introduce on-street parking enforcement in North Lanarkshire town centres, to improve the turnover of parking spaces and support local businesses.

"The decriminalised parking enforcement scheme will also include on-street disabled parking bays. Parking enforcement officers will enforce parking restrictions and issue penalty charge notices to vehicles parked illegally.”

The council recently completed a review of parking availability and is seeking to provide more spaces, identify potential sites for new car parks and enforce disabled off-street parking.

Indiscriminate parking across the council area has increased since the traffic warden service was abolished, as parking enforcement is not a police priority. NLC is now seeking to extend the remit of its environmental protection officers to include parking enforcement.

It will hire four new EPOs, with Town Centre Activities providing CCTV monitoring to direct teams of officers as needed.

The council has also successfully applied to the Scottish Government for permission to adopt the Decriminalised Parking Scheme. This will allow it to enforce yellow lines and signage.

Other offences such as vehicle obstruction and moving violations will remain the responsibility of the police. North Lanarkshire is now working with Glasgow City Council to establish the needed back office support for this.