Parking charges look set to be phased in over the next 18 months as the "price to pay" for freeing Atherstone from its traffic gridlock nightmare.

But for traffic crusader Harry Blackburn getting government endorsement to decriminalise certain parking in the town centre will be the granting of a seven-year wish.

Next week councillors are set to rubber stamp a joint application to the Department for Transport to begin the formal process ushering in civil parking enforcement (CPE) across North Warwickshire by April 2021.

The aim of the proposals, supported by Warwickshire County Council, is to transfer the powers under the Traffic Management Act 2004 from the police to the local authority.

And it will basically signal the end of free parking as well as penalising drivers who overstay their welcome on the town's main roads and sidestreets.

Last month, North Warwickshire deputy leader David Wright said the council was committed to a full review of car parking in all the borough's main towns – Atherstone, Polesworth and Coleshill with a plan to identify other sites to support additional parking.

His promise came as campaigning Councillor Blackburn presented more damning evidence of a situation that has reached the stage where motorists in Atherstone "park where they like".

His one-man crusade to end the gridlock by alerting area and county forums has already taken up seven years of his life.

In his report, backed by photographs showing in some cases examples of triple parking and vehicles taking to the pavements to avoid the double yellow lines, Cllr Blackburn urged Atherstone Town Council to make sure borough and county authorities acted together.

"I fear it will only get worse as more housing comes into the town," said the Mancetter parish councillor. He forecast it could take up to 10 years to rid Atherstone town centre from its "nightmare" traffic congestion without decriminalising parking.

A report to next Monday's borough council's Executive Board reveals the county council will be responsible for implementing CPE and undertaking on-street enforcement.

CPE should deliver better turnover of on-street spaces arises from better enforcement with drivers less willing to overstay their welcome – and risk getting a penalty charge notice.

The report also points to improved traffic flow with the increased availability of on-street parking spaces reducing congestion caused by drivers searching for on-street spaces; improved road safety through better enforcement of illegal parking on yellow lines, at road junctions, on narrow streets, and in designated loading bays; improved accessibility for emergency services, public transport and utilities vehicles; improved accessibility for people with disabilities who rely on the use of the car, through better enforcement of disabled parking spaces; and less parking on footways, making life easier for pedestrians and wheelchair users.

Civil parking enforcement was first considered by the Executive Board five years ago but the process has been delayed due to a number of factors including capacity and resource issues at Department for Transport as a result of the Government's preparations for exiting the EU.

The report by the council's Streetscape director Richard Dobbs is included in the Tory administration's Corporate Plan for the next 12 months.

CPE is listed within the plan's seven priorities for "achieving the vision of protecting the rurality of North Warwickshire, supporting its communities and promoting the wellbeing of residents and business".

For 2020/21, the plan hopes to work with Warwickshire County Council to ensure completion of the work needed to introduce civil parking enforcement, assess options for increasing car parking capacity sustainably within the borough and build the appropriate funding into the medium term financial strategy.

And in the following financial year, the corporate plan also envisages increasing car parking capacity in the borough, in line with agreed options – and introducing parking charges, with exemptions for short stay/shopper visits.