PLANS to introduce evening and overnight parking charge in Dorset Council car parks have been paused.

After continued criticism of the proposal, including at February's full council meeting the Lib Dem-controlled authority said in a statement issued on Wednesday afternoon: "Having listened to initial concerns from councillors and the public, it is clear the introduction of such charges should not be decided until a thorough review of all parking services has taken place.

"This review will commence as soon as possible and may take anything up to 6-9 months, as it will need to involve engagement with our residents, business owners, and local members. This will give us a better understanding of changing trends in car park usage, how the location of our car parks affects parking behaviour, and the impact of all parking charges on residents, visitors, and local businesses.

"Therefore, we will not be progressing the introduction of evening and overnight parking charges at this time.

"We will keep everyone informed as to the progress of the parking review, including when they can contribute to the process."

The decision could cause problems for the council given that they have just set a budget based on the income they hoped to receive from the additional parking charges – although Council leader Nick Ireland told this week's meeting that extra money was being put into reserves for unforseen problems in the financial year to come, which starts in April.