Residents of Milner Street in Newport were incorrectly told that newly installed electric vehicle charging bays would not feature restricted marked parking spaces.
Councillor Andrew Sterry said those living in the street had been given a "clear written assurance" that the new bays would not be marked out, leaving drivers free to park in the spaces.
"Despite those assurances, white marked bays have now been installed," he said. "This raises serious concerns about public confidence in the council's consultation process."
Councillor criticises consultation process
Sterry added that residents are entitled to expect that commitments made during consultation would be honoured or, if circumstances changed, that they would be informed and consulted before a materially different scheme was implemented.
Cabinet member for infrastructure, Councillor Rhian Howells, said the council apologised for the mix-up, which she blamed on a "communication error".
"The council accepts that the final scheme differed from what had originally been advised, and that this should have been communicated more clearly, but the final safety advice is that the marked bays need to stay," she said.
Council confirms traffic regulation procedure
Howells confirmed that the local authority had subsequently followed the traffic regulation order procedure "indicating the correct intention to include markings", which included a further round of public consultation.
Following her response, Sterry said he had wider concerns regarding the "integrity" of the consultation process, stressing that public engagement ought to be "meaningful".
"The council's final position is that the markings must remain because of safety advice – I accept that this is now their position and I don't intend to keep pursuing the same issue when they have made it clear they will not reverse the decision," he said. "However, I remain disappointed with how this was handled."
Residents' good faith questioned
Sterry noted that residents participated in the consultation in good faith, adding: "If the council subsequently decided that what had originally been agreed could no longer be delivered, residents and their ward councillors should have been clearly informed and the reasons explained."
