AN in-depth investigation is to be held into the organisation responsible for enforcing parking restrictions in north Essex.

The North Essex Parking Partnership’s board met on Monday to set up a special group to scrutinise its work.

It comes after the organisation announced it is set to make a £90,000 budget shortfall at the end of the year because not enough parking tickets have been issued.

The special task and finish group will investigate whether the partnerships, in north and south Essex, are delivering their objectives and if they could work better in the future.

Peter Halliday, leader of Tendring District Council, which has been a critic of the partnership since it began in 2011, welcomed the plans but said any report must be “honest and open”.

He added: “If this is done correctly, it will be a report which states the blooming obvious and will probably agree with everything I have been saying from the outset.

“The business model does not work. It is simply wrong and I hope this report the group comes back with shows that.”

Last year, the partnership, run by Colchester Council and which also covers Braintree, Tendring, Harlow, Uttlesford and Epping, made a total loss of £191,099.

But under the terms of the partnership, Essex County Council is committed to covering deficits in the first two years, which ran until April 2013.

Robert Mitchell, North Essex Parking Partnership chairman, said: “It would be completely inappropriate to pre-judge the findings of the report, particularly as the task and finish group is yet to start its work.

“We will welcome the group’s findings in due course and, in the meantime, continue to regularly review our income and expenditure against the business plan.

“Adjusting our operations accordingly will ensure we continue to deliver best value for money from public funds, as has been the case in recent months.”

Mr Mitchell also said he is confident the partnership will break even by April 2014, adding: “We do not expect contributions from member authorities would be required.”