EVER WONDERED who decides what the well-dressed traffic warden is wearing this spring? writes Steve Bargeton, political editor.

In Dundee, Scottish ministers are responsible, in Aberdeen the local council decides and in Perth it is up to the Mayor of London!

MSPs have been trying to get their heads round a bizarre anomaly of devolution that vests power over parking attendants’ outfits in the hands of Greater London Authority chief Ken Livingstone, among others.

The issue came to light when the Holyrood subordinate legislation committee was looking at a new regulation to decriminalise parking offences in Dundee.

In 2002 a botched attempt was made to transfer responsibility for traffic wardens’ clothing from the Scottish secretary to the Executive, but since then a series of statutory instruments have handed responsibility to councillors and ministers.

As a briefing paper for MSPs observed, failing to amend the regulations “...has left the power to prescribe the uniform of parking attendants in Perth and Kinross with the Greater London Authority.”

Nationalist MSP Stewart Maxwell, a member of the subordinate legislation committee, said, “I could be cheeky and say that the Labour Executive seems addicted to passing powers to London—even to the extent of what our traffic wardens wear.”