Plans to introduce traffic wardens in Halton to help bring in money for the council have been scrapped - because they would cost too much.

The World reported last year how the plan was being considered as part of a range of measures aimed at plugging a black hole in the borough's finances.

As outlined in the council's own documents published at the beginning of last year, it would have involved hiring private sector civil enforcement officers to issue fines and 'generate income'.

It would have taken 12 months to apply for powers from the Department For Transport and put the scheme in place and the council's initial estimate was that it would have brought in £150,000 in its first year. At present, penalties are only issued by private companies on private land, or by the police on public highways.

But even though other cost cutting measures - such as scrapping the council's school meals service - have since gone ahead, plans for traffic wardens have now been scrapped due - ironically - to the costs involved.

A council spokeswoman said that because it would have been an entirely new service which currently has no budget, staff, equipment and systems, everything would need to be funded up front before any income from fines was received.

She said that evidence from other similar local authorities who run a civil parking enforcement service indicated that for it to be cost neutral, it needed to be combined with a policy for charging for parking in an area but that in Halton, council-run car parks are free. She added that Cheshire Police already has legal responsibility for parking enforcement in Halton.

Unlike some other local town centres, parking is still largely free in Widnes and Runcorn, although there was anger when parking charges were introduced at Green Oaks Shopping Centre car park in 2022 by its owners, with the council saying at the time it had been left 'in the dark' about the plans.

This was followed not long after by supermarket giant Morrisons, where charges at the car park next door come into force following a two hour stay.