The city council is being criticised for dragging its heels over a Whitstable park and ride.

The authority says it is examining the feasibility of a new service, which could help alleviate congestion and parking problems in the town.

But Alex Stevens - a professor of criminal justice at the University of Kent who is running as Green Party candidate for Gorrell - says the matter must be a priority.

Council spokesman Leo Whitlock said: “Officers are in the process of examining the business case for a park and ride scheme in Whitstable, to deal with the parking problems faced during the summer weekend peaks. We need to assess the level of demand on weekdays and throughout the week outside the summer months.

“We also need to calculate the costs of buying the land needed and building a car park as well as the day-to-day running costs.

“Officers have been assessing the feasibility of a park and ride scheme in Whitstable since the council’s Transport Strategy was adopted in July 2017.

“As the issues are complex, it is impossible to say when that work will reach a conclusion especially as the council does not own any land that would be suitable and it is impossible to tell when an appropriate parcel of land would become available.”

But Professor Stevens says the council is neglecting Whitstable and favouring Canterbury, which already has three park and rides at New Dover Road, Sturry and Wincheap - and that action must be taken.

“The council’s response shows just how little progress they’ve made towards actually opening a park and ride for Whitstable,” he said.

“They haven’t even taken the first step, which would be to assess traffic flow and parking need.

“The council’s lack of progress again shows the lack of attention to Whitstable, and to the need to improve the environment, that we have seen so often from Canterbury District Council.”

He added that he feels the service will be needed throughout the year, not just in the tourist season.

“In summer, residents of Whitstable are often unable to park near their homes,” he said. “Increasingly, these problems continue into the winter.”

He said the issues were relieved in 2009, when a park and ride ran for a short while on land near Estuary View.

“In July 2017, the council promised to explore how to continue these benefits,” he said. “But Whitstable residents have seen no progress. So we are asking, ‘where’s our park and ride?’

“The council plans to spend £9 million to build an unpopular multi-storey car park at Canterbury West. This will increase pollution and congestion in the city. The money should be spent on measures which reduce, rather than increase the district’s traffic problems.”