Council has REMOVED ALL ELEVEN DISABLED BAYS without consultation - seeking advice

concerned_neighbour

Hello everyone,
My local council Hart.Gov.UK has removed all 11 disabled bays along Fleet Road (main shopping district) and also all 4 bus stops and relocated a long walk away.  I am seeking advice on how this can be challenged.  Many people who used these parking bays and bus routes are now not able to visit the shops.  Hope there is someone on this group that may now how we can challenge the Council in order to get the disabled bays re-instated.  After this was done end of August, there were complaints and the council then introduced 2 temporary disabled bays to replace the 11 that they removed, however both bays are next to Taxi Rank and both are on busy junctions (cross roads) and very dangerous to use.   I would be really grateful if anyone knows how we can challenge this (legally).  Thanks in advance.  

janer1967

I would contact your local MP for advice or maybe speak to CAB or welfare rights

leeCal

You can contact your mp by using this link

https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-an-mp-or-lord/contact-your-mp/

concerned_neighbour

janer1967 said:

I would contact your local MP for advice or maybe speak to CAB or welfare rights

Thankyou. The MP has been contacted, however I don’t think he has any power as he is Conservative and the Council is run by a mix of Lib Dem, Cons, CCH so no one party has control.  I will definitely speak to CAB or Welfare Rights. Thanks again.

concerned_neighbour

leeCal said:

You can contact your mp by using this link

https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-an-mp-or-lord/contact-your-mp/

Thank you. Have already contacted local MP but he is conservative and the council is run by libdem/cons/cch so no one party has control.  Nobody can believe they have done this.

ingridJ

My local Council, South Somerset, has done exactly the same in Yeovil. We lost approximately 15 spaces a year ago under a Refresh scheme and have now lost the remaining approximately 15 spaces under Covid social distancing. The Council are adamant the road closures involved are necessary, odd though that this is exactly what they wanted pre Covid! The town is dead and every business is struggling but obviously not enough to let the disabled back in! The Council cites the 80 plus spaces in their car parks, none of them are remotely near the Post Office or Marks and Spencer’s. We have one ‘replacement’ bay provided on street and five in a nearby car park. The Council is adamant they are not discriminating! It goes against the Equality Act and their own published Equality Statement. I Have contacted the CAB who are unable to assist. I feel helpless and excluded.

concerned_neighbour

Hi, your story sounds exactly the same as Fleet (albeit you have lost more spaces ;-( ) Again, the council have wanted to pedestrianise for years and have never been able to do it because of so much opposition.  My council said they closed the disabled bays and the road to all cars, to allow social distancing. Then the local BID starting putting on events in the new old road space and they were so crowded you couldn’t social distance anyway.  It has created a lot of division among residents and businesses and lots of people are avoiding the town altogether.  They also moved the bus stops to much further away. It’s so upsetting. I think our scheme runs out in April 2021 but everyone is worried the council will make it permanent.  The daft thing is there are two private car parks within the pedestrianised zone, so there are cars allowed on pedestrianised zone, so why couldn’t they just leave the disable parking bays.   Thanks for letting me know CAD probably won’t be able to assist.  I am going to look into the other suggestion - welfare rights.  

ingridJ

If you have any luck, anywhere, please let me know.

concerned_neighbour

ingridJ said:

If you have any luck, anywhere, please let me know.

Of course :-)