Councillors in Dún Laoghaire have voted to introduce clamping in the county from June 1st.
The decision was made following a 90-minute debate triggered by a motion directing the county manager Owen Keegan not to introduce clamping.
Mr Keegan had said he would bring in clamping for people with three or more parking tickets from February 5th, due to delays in court.
However, the matter was temporarily shelved when it emerged that the council had been given enough time in court to process 1,000 fines but had only dealt with eight.
Labour councillor Jane Dillon-Byrne, who proposed the motion not to bring in clamping, said its introduction equated to using a "mallet to kill an ant".
Despite the support voiced by a number of councillors, Ms Dillon-Byrne's motion was defeated by 17 votes to nine.
An alternative motion, proposed by an Cathaoirleach Councillor Eugene Regan, agreed with the manager during a 10-minute recess, was put to the vote.
It called on the manager to defer the introduction of clamping to June 1st to allow consultation with businesses and the community and to allow for the full utilisation of court time.
This motion was accepted by 22 votes to three, with one abstention.
