CAR parking income in Bute and Cowal fell nearly £10,000 short of its target in Bute and Cowal between April and June – with council officials at a loss to explain why.

A report has revealed that the cumulative income from council-run car parks in Bute and Cowal over the three months was £7,755, against a target of £17,135.

Income from the car parks at Dunoon Swimming Pool, and Argyll Street, was particularly short of the targets set by Argyll and Bute Council officials.

The figure for Argyll and Bute as a whole during the same period was £247,216, which was also short of its target of £289,219.

The details feature in a report which will go before the authority’s Bute and Cowal area committee at its meeting on Tuesday, September 3.

The report said: “At present we are unable to explain why there is a shortfall in the Bute and Cowal area.

“The weather may well be a contributing factor along with the cost-of-living crisis which may prevent people from travelling. All car parks are open, and the warden is in the area as often as possible.”

The April to June period – the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial year – is at least the fifth financial quarter in a row when car parking income for Bute and Cowal has not met its target.

For Argyll and Bute as a whole, the figure did hit its cumulative target twice in the same spell – during the first and third quarters of the 2023/24 financial year.

Meanwhile, the same report also shows that the number of parking tickets issued from April to June was a decrease on the same period in 2023 – although an increase on the previous three months.

It matches the trend for Argyll and Bute as a whole, although the difference between January to March, and then April to June for 2024, is sharper. No targets are set by the council for these figures.

The report said: “There has been a 15 per cent drop in PCNs (penalty charge notices) issued in the Bute and Cowal area in comparison to last year’s figures.

“This is in part due to the warden covering other areas such as Luss due to a vacancy in the Helensburgh and Lomond area.

“The poor weather may also be a contributing factor in potential visitor numbers to the area.”