Councillors will be going undercover to find out what it's like to be on the receiving end of a parking ticket, in the lead-up to a public forum to discuss Ealing Council's Parking and Enforcement Service,.

The Parking Services Scrutiny Panel has been set up to look at whether the Council's Parking Service is being well run and to make sure that permit holders and other motorists are being treated fairly and efficiently.

Members of a special watchdog panel will become 'mystery shoppers' over the coming weeks and will test services such as buying a parking permit, reclaiming a vehicle from the car pound or challenging or paying a fine.

Councillors will also be shadowing parking attendants as they patrol their beats as well as Council staff who deal with other aspects of the service.

Councillor Phil Taylor, the panel chairman, said: "No one likes to receive a parking ticket, but I'd like to make sure that the Council is doing all it can to make sure that the experience is as painless as it can be. We'll also be testing the service that residents who live in the borough's controlled parking zones get when it comes to things like applying for and renewing permits and purchasing visitor vouchers."

The panel's findings will be discussed as part of a public forum event to be held at the Queen's Hall, Ealing Town Hall at 7pm on Tuesday, 11 September. Residents and other interested parties are invited to book their place at the forum in advance by contacting Chris Cheyne at cheynec@ealing.gov.uk or on (020) 8825 6568. A maximum of 100 people will be admitted to the meeting.

The public forum will not be discussing parking enforcement rules and regulations or individual cases.

Panel members are Cllrs Phil Taylor (chairman), Jasbir Anand (vice-chairman), Mohammad Aslam, Ann Chapman, Swarn Singh Kang, Diana Pagan, Elizabeth Reilly, John Ross and Manjit Singh.

Is it possible to get a realistic and accurate feedback, when the person who is being observed knows that his actions may be monitored?