East Lothian Council pauses parking charge plans for four towns

East Lothian councillors have suspended plans to introduce parking charges in Dunbar, Haddington, Musselburgh, and Tranent. The decision follows the approval of an independent review into the impact of the existing parking management scheme in North Berwick, which was implemented in June.

Financial reports indicate that funding may be unavailable to expand the scheme to other towns in the near term. Consequently, the council will not proceed with Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) for the four additional towns until the findings of the North Berwick review are considered in detail. The review is expected to be completed by June 2027.

The delay follows previous opposition from the SNP Group, which had called for a review of the North Berwick scheme's first year of operation. SNP Group leader Lyn Jardine welcomed the decision, citing concerns regarding the evidence base for the proposed parking measures.