Plans to charge £150 for disabled parking bays in Plymouth

Tori_Scope

A charity boss has said plans to charge £150 for disabled parking bays in Plymouth are "adding insult to injury".

Tim Todd, from Plymouth Friends and Family charity, said families were already struggling with rising costs.

He called on the council to "think again" as plans for the changes are set to go before the Plymouth City Council's cabinet on Thursday.

A spokesperson said the council could no longer afford to provide the scheme free due to "budget pressures".

The council's cabinet is set to consider a report on parking fees, permits and payment options across the city.

Included in the recommendations is one to introduce the fee for marking a resident's disabled parking bay.

It currently costs £40 to apply for a bay, which does not guarantee the application will be approved and once installed there are no guarantees the bay will always be available.

The council said the £40 covered the cost of checking eligibility and a site visit and would be charged in addition to the £150 for installing the bay.

If approved by cabinet, the fee would be charged on all new bays from 1 December. It would also be charged each time a bay needed to be re-marked.

BBC News

Over to you...

Do you think it's reasonable for the council to charge an extra £150 for installing disabled parking bays?

Would this affect you?

Cartini

I live in Plymouth and I have mixed feelings over this.

I have my own drive, so I wouldn`t be able to apply for a disabled spot to be marked out on the road.

I live next to a school (built after I bought my house) and my drive is constantly being blocked by inconsiderate mothers on the school run.  My complaints to the police are met with "it`s a council problem" and my complaints to the council are met with "we can put a "do not enter" box outside your drive, but it will cost £250".  Needless to say, and because it cannot be legally enforced, I won`t be paying £250.

You could argue that that disabled box is being provided at a discount compared to those who need a box to keep their drive clear.

 At the end of the day, disability benefits are there to help people with their everyday life, so you could also argue they could be used to pay for a disability box to be painted outside their property.

The only downside to paying for one is that anyone with a blue badge could use it, not just the person who paid to have it installed (I read that for one council (which one I can`t remember), whether it`s the same for all I couldn`t say).

Unfortunately the way the cost of living crisis is going, everyone is going to be impacted one way or another and possibly more than once.

GizmoTiddles

I think the council will do what they want. 
Where I live I'm lucky to have (at the moment) space to park at home.but on the main road it is a big problem, again in Plymouth.
A bay wouldn't work for the person that pays for it. But would be abused by the inconsiderate fraternity. Vans seem to be the transport of choice by out foreign "friends" 

L_Volunteer

What an.... intriguingly frustrating thread! Thanks @Tori_Scope for initiating the conversation.

Thanks to everyone else for contributing their responses too. If anyone else wishes to share their response please feel free.

I hear you all