Fury erupts over council’s plan to make Blue Badge holders pay to use its car parks
17 December 2024, 09:14
Thousands of people have signed a petition opposing a council’s ‘cruel’ plans to make disabled people pay to use Blue Badge spaces.
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Bromley Council wants to charge Blue Badge holders to use council car parks.
The motion was approved at a council meeting last month.
But the plans have been labelled ‘cruel,’ ‘mean-spirited’ and ‘discriminatory’ by Blue Badge holders.
The plan was approved by the Conservative run authority at a meeting on November 20 - however several councillors criticised the move due to a lack of formal consultation or impact assessment.
Conservative Councillor Nicholas Bennett, Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways & Road Safety, said at a meeting on December 9: “ I would point out, we’re talking about people who own and run a car and the average cost of running a car every month is £300. We’re talking about a parking fee which could be between £1.10 and £1.60.
“People who have Blue Badges have to pay for their petrol, they have to pay for their oil, they have to pay for their servicing, they have to pay for their tyres. For all these things, there is no discount if you have got a Blue Badge.”
Sian Pugh, 59, who started the petition, said: “It just feels like another arrow on the heads of disabled people, ‘We know they’re vulnerable. We know they probably won’t fight back so let’s just sock it to them.”
As of Tuesday morning, the petition had garnered over 2,500 signatures.
Ms Pugh wrote: “It is difficult to express how reliant Blue Badge holders are on the freedom to park free in designated areas. For many people, the only time they go out is when they take their car (or are taken) and rely on being able to park close to their destination. Blue Badge holders simply do not have the choices enjoyed by able-bodied people to park in the cheapest car parks, or to park outside town and walk in, because they are not mobile.
“I am shocked and disappointed that this cruel policy, which targets the most vulnerable members of our society, has been proposed and would urge Councillor Bennett and the Councillors who supported it to reconsider and withdraw it.”
It is understood that the plans allow for a grace period for Blue Badge holders to return to their cars once their paid session has run out.
