RESIDENTS who complained about the difficulties of parking in our town centres over the summer because of irresponsible parking and/or lack of enforcement may not know how lucky they were.

Without warning, Police Scotland fired their five wardens as part of their ‘efficiency’ drive, creating this situation.

However, starting the first Monday in November, parking wardens are back. But this time it’s private.

No need to panic just yet; for the first few weeks, they will only be issuing leaflets. But look out after that.

They will be employed by NSL Ltd – the same company as Edinburgh’s ‘Blue Meanies’. I have had promises made to me they will not be as brutal in enforcement here. But ‘ah hae ma doots’.

They will also patrol coastal car parks, for which charging started a year ago in July, the income from which has been poor once residents worked out there was nobody around to enforce the £2 charge. That will also change after the first £60 tickets are issued (£30 if you pay promptly).

As leader of East Lothian Council’s 2007 administration, we floated this idea, listened to the resulting stushie and dropped the whole concept.

The present ELC administration claim the whole scheme will be “cost-neutral” and “any surplus generated will be reinvested into parking-related activities”. Aye, right.

So far, they have dropped almost £899,347 on resurfacing, painting lines, installing pay machines, etc. In exchange, after two seasons, they have brought in £118,067 net from the machines and £29,440 net selling over 1,000 season passes at £40 a pop. That’s under 20 per cent return on investment after two seasons.

Once NSL’s five wardens are out issuing tickets, they will cost us £252,000 a year. This is to be paid by £55,000 from coastal car parks and £52,000 from “event management”. ELC says £125,000 will be funded by parking tickets – which still leaves a £20,000 shortfall.

As well as money, that will create 4,180 irate drivers – many unaware of our unusual (to Edinburgh residents) Sunday restrictions.

This is not just bad PR but poor budgeting. Taking £55,000 from £74,000 coastal income leaves just £19,000: precious little for 11 car parks’ upkeep to justify the charge, let alone build toilets.

If “event management” means “who knows?”, with the £20,000 gap, that’s either another 2,500 irate people or a £75,000 hole in the budget.