A bid to stop a controversial £805,000 traffic scheme being introduced has ended in failure.

In September, Medway Council’s Cabinet gave the nod to five red routes in the Towns.

This was despite a majority of respondents to a public consultation voting against.

The Cabinet’s decision was “called in” by nine opposition Conservative councillors.

This meant it was further debated at the regeneration, culture and environment overview and scrutiny committee last night.

The scheme aims to introduce red lines on five streets - using smart cameras to fine drivers who stop in prohibited areas.

The committee could have sent the proposals back to Cabinet for reconsideration with recommended changes, or send to full council for wider debate.

However, after nearly two hours of discussion between councillors and council officers, and statements from the ward councillor and a concerned resident, Cllr David Field (Lab) proposed the scheme be accepted and no further action be taken.

This was seconded and taken to a vote, where it was approved with eight votes for and seven against.

All the Labour group members on the committee voted for the motion, while the six Conservative group members and one independent member voted against. The project will now go out for further public consultation.

Cllr Phil Filmer (Con) introduced the call in, saying: “We’re not totally against measures that improve safety on roads, the reason we called it in was because of the engagement with the residents of Rainham. It’s evident that it’s not welcome.”

“We weren’t looking to call in all the red routes, unfortunately they all have to come back, it was just the fact that residents and businesses in Rainham are very against this.”

The committee heard first from ward councillor Cllr Gary Hackwell (Con) who said the double yellow lines currently on the road are sufficient and the only benefit of the red routes is that they use smart cameras rather than traffic wardens, meaning they can cover the area continuously, catch more motorists and generate more revenue.

He said the increased congestion in the Towns was not due to inconsiderate parking but due to increased amounts of traffic on the road and poor road planning.

He said: “The junction of Mierscourt Road and the A2 holds up traffic in both directions for extended periods of time. We need to fix this junction and review the other traffic management systems on this road before we implement any more.”

Also speaking against the red routes was Alan Stockey, a Rainham resident, who thanked the council for bringing focus on traffic congestion and air quality but said there was no explicit evidence the proposed scheme would improve the current situation.

Mr Stockey said: “There are no publicly available reports detailing the benefits of red routes, I’ve looked and asked experts, but there are contrary indicators for increased road traffic accidents.

“Rainham residents have made clear they don’t want a red route through their town, it is aggressive and disproportionate when existing enforcement measures are far from being exhausted.”

After the vote was taken and the cabinet decision accepted without alteration, Mr Stockey said: “I am obviously disappointed this poorly researched proposal is deemed ready for statutory consultation.

“It contains not one shred of objective data detailing any of the claimed benefits and not one of the members on the committee took the opportunity to ask "how much improvement in congestion, emissions or air quality will we get for £805,000”?

“Nobody has taken time to communicate with all the Rainham residents (in the way they have to businesses) whose properties front onto the A2 and it is unclear whether statutory consultation will ensure they are all given a voice; not everyone uses social media.

“I am also clear that while neither party declared the party whip, there was obviously block voting along party lines. This makes a mockery of inviting me to speak at what should have been a truly independent “overview and scrutiny committee” seeking to obtain the best outcome for taxpayers.”

Council officers at the meeting said the consultation, which was conducted between July 5 and July 30, had resulted in adaptations to the designs, such as the introduction of loading bays, clear signage, and leniency for blue badge holders.

They addressed specific examples raised by councillors about the Rainham route, including an undertaker who may have to park outside of a church within the red line zone.

Ruth Du-Lieu, deputy director of place, said all images captured by the smart cameras would be reviewed by a human and exceptions would be made for blue badge holders and other vehicles that needed to stop.

Some councillors spoke in favour of the proposals, saying inconvenient parking was a problem residents had recognised during the consultation and so action was needed.

Cllr Tris Osborne, portfolio holder for community safety and enforcement, who was not at the meeting but has been involved with the proposals, said: "I am extremely pleased the committee has agreed to take no further action.

“This isn’t the end of the road - we will continue to engage with the public in the upcoming statutory consultation so we can make these routes work even better for residents, businesses and those who travel through our towns.

“It was frustrating this further engagement with the public had been delayed by a politically motivated call in - but we are glad to be back on track with getting Medway moving."

The red routes has been a controversial topic as many have accused the council of only introducing it as a money-making scheme, including Tory leader Cllr Adrian Gulvin who said he had proposed it as a revenue raiser in the previous administration.

At the meeting, Cllr George Perfect (Con) accused members of the cabinet of deciding to go ahead with the red routes prior to the consultation, effectively making it meaningless.

This was challenged by Labour members who said the changes to the designs as a result of the consultation disproved this.

Cllr Mark Jones said: “I’d like the public to be reassured that we are not pre-empting the consultation. I can remember cases where schools were up for closure and two members of the public supported the school closure and those against the closure were in four figures and yet the Conservative administration at the time went ahead with the closure anyway.

“I’m not going to take lessons from the Conservative group on pre-empting consultations.”

Cllr Stephen Hubbard (Lab) said the Conservatives opposition to the scheme was political since Tory councillors on the committee now opposing the scheme had supported it when it was included in cabinet decisions in October last year and the council meeting in April.

The vote passed to accept the proposals as agreed at cabinet with no alterations by eight votes for and seven against.

If approved, the red routes scheme will be introduced in: Corporation Street, Rochester; Star Hill, Rochester; Best Street, Chatham; The Brook, Chatham; and A2 High Street, Rainham.

No date has been set for the latest consultation.