WILTSHIRE Council has been criticised for introducing parking charges for disabled drivers and holders of Blue Badges. Westbury resident, Michelle Bateman, said the charges are an unnecessary move in “increasingly trying times.”
Wiltshire Council’s new parking charges came into effect at the beginning of the month, which saw disabled Blue Badge holders now being charged for parking in council-run car parks, as well as charging an additional 10p per tariff on all parking charges in the county. Westbury continues to have one-hour free parking, which is financed by Westbury Town Council.
Blue Badge holder, Michelle Bateman said, “I feel personally that this is the council targeting a vulnerable group in an increasingly trying time. They seem to feel that we are an easy target that they can make money out of. We can’t lie down and let this happen as this will be the case soon right across the UK and one of the more vulnerable groups will be further marginalised.
“I’m concerned with Wiltshire Council as they seem to want to get rid of the Blue Badge completely, which wouldn’t surprise me. It feels like pure greed to me and that the council is trying to fleece a vulnerable group. Well, I hope they’re happy with their money.
“If they notified us in writing a good month before the change then I wouldn’t be as frustrated, but this just feels like another unnecessary pressure when we are all already dealing with so much.”
Michelle’s carer and friend, Richard Dredge added, “They haven’t notified Blue Badge users in writing about the change, which means a huge selection of people may not have seen the plans advertised. There are plenty of people that do not use the internet who may not have known about this at all and hadn’t had the opportunity to say how they feel about it.
“I only found out about the change from reading the White Horse News – I really think an organisation with as much money as Wiltshire Council should have the foresight to realise that a large majority of Blue Badge users are also elderly and may not have internet access all the time.
“On the physical Blue Badge, it says we are allowed three hours of free parking in Wiltshire on double yellow lines as long as it’s not causing inconvenience. If we are no longer allowed this for free, then they need to reissue Blue Badges to rectify this.”
Wiltshire Council declined to give a statement, but a spokesperson said that they are not planning to end the Blue Badge scheme. They also say that the change was agreed by the full council in February and it has subsequently been through a traffic regulation order consultation process. The council added that it has been widely advertised in the local media, with signage in all Wiltshire Council car parks to let people know of the changes.
To find out more about the decision, visit: https://cms.wiltshire.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=1864
