Bristol City Council has rejected calls to scrap proposed Residents' Parking Zones – even though the majority of residents do not want them introduced.

The authority has proposed pilot schemes for Clifton Wood and Kingsdown, which would see residents paying for the right to park in the street.

Residents living within the zones were asked whether they supported the plans and the majority in both areas have voted against them.

The council cabinet is set to make the final decision on the Clifton Wood zone on March 25, while it has recommended an unelected officer decide on the Kingsdown zone.

Opponents of the plans fear the council will push ahead with the £1.2 million scheme, regardless of its unpopularity.

Bernard Cooke, of the group Keep Parking Free, has written to the council's executive member for transport, Jon Rogers, asking for the zones to be scrapped.

But Mr Rogers says that although residents' votes will be taken into consideration, the cabinet will have the last word.

Mr Cooke, 54, of Clifton, said: "The council promised people in both Clifton Wood and Kingsdown a final vote on the final proposals.

"The vote has taken place and the people have said 'no'. That should simply be the end of the matter.

"There is no point in having a vote and then ignoring it. No means no.

"Proceeding with the statutory consultation in Clifton Wood before knowing the result of the vote there, and continuing to work up the Traffic Regulation Order for Kingsdown seems a complete waste and misuse of public money.

"The proposal to delegate the decision on whether or not to go ahead with the scheme in Kingsdown is bizarre, wrong and an abrogation of responsibility.

"This has been a controversial issue and the idea of delegating the final decision to an unelected officer seems almost unbelievable."

Of 457 households in Clifton Wood, 57 per cent were against the zones, 38 per cent supported them and four per cent were undecided.

Of 565 people in Kingsdown, 47 per cent were against, just under 45 per cent were in favour and eight per cent were undecided.

The response rates were low, with only 25 per cent of people in Clifton Wood voting and just 18 per cent in Kingsdown.

Mr Rogers said: "Of course we will take the results of the survey very seriously – it has provided us with key information on the level of support for the schemes from within the proposed areas.

"However, the final decision now lies with the elected representatives and will be made by the council's cabinet.

"The cabinet will decide whether to delegate the decision on Kingsdown. It will only do so with a firm recommendation of its intentions."

If the zones are approved, vehicle owners would pay £30 a year for one permit and £80 on top of that for a second. A third permit would cost another £200, but would only be issued in "exceptional circumstances".