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Original poster

Disabled parking angst

114 replies

ProbablyNotMad · 08/08/2023 12:04

My aunt is disabled and has a blue badge. The council recently put a disabled space on the road in front of her house. Lame drawing attached as per rules. Aunt was really pleased as parking can be busy and she often has to park a few houses down, which is tiring when she has shopping to unload. Unfortunately, Aunt's neighbour is also disabled and he is telling her that she is not allowed to use the disabled space. He had requested it from the council and it is for him to use not her. She is continuing to use it when she needs to but the neighbour is leaving horrible notes on her car and shouts at her when he sees her. Yesterday, someone further up the road had a disabled visitor who parked in the disabled space. They got a nasty note too.

I have spoken to the council and they have said that anyone with a blue badge can use the space and they won't create another disabled space on that road.

I think aunt should call the police and report him for harassment but she is reluctant to do this as she doesn't want to bother the police and this might make the neighbour angrier.

What would you do? Would we be unreasonable to call the police over this?

Disabled parking angst
OP posts:
ItsNotRocketSalad · 08/08/2023 20:33

JaukiVexnoydi · 08/08/2023 20:09

@FloweryName he has his own off-street parking on a driveway. OP does not. Why does he need it?

Show quote history

The council would not have put in a bay at his request if he had off-street parking. I think the OP might have changed the story to get more favourable replies for her aunt.

JaukiVexnoydi · 08/08/2023 20:09

FloweryName · 08/08/2023 20:08

He applied for the space because he needed it. Morally, he deserves priority.

@FloweryName he has his own off-street parking on a driveway. OP does not. Why does he need it?

FloweryName · 08/08/2023 20:08

He applied for the space because he needed it. Morally, he deserves priority.

JaukiVexnoydi · 08/08/2023 20:08

Anyone with a blue badge can park in the space but he's being a total bastard to use it just so a non-blue-badge-holder can use his driveway.

ItsNotRocketSalad · 08/08/2023 20:08

The party to blame here is the council who won't put in enough disabled spaces to serve the needs of residents. Blue badge holders shouldn't have to fight it out amongst themselves. Can you keep on at the council on your aunt's behalf?

Original poster
ProbablyNotMad · 08/08/2023 20:03

*ablist not a list. I wish Mumsnet had an edit function.

OP posts:
ChristmasCrumpet · 08/08/2023 20:01

BiscuitsandPuffin · 08/08/2023 12:26

TBH if he just went through a huge battle of getting a disabled space put in, in the hope that he could actually park his car on the road now, near his house, and then someone random started using it, I can completely see why he's upset. Unfortunately the letter of the law is on your aunt's side, but it doesn't mean it's fair and tbh she sounds quite selfish when he's clearly begging her to stop parking there out of sheer desperation.
Really though, both your aunt and the neighbour should move house to somewhere more accessible if parking is that important to them, so they can live somewhere with a drive or allocated bays.

Yep, this.

I'd be pissed off if I was him too. He did all the hard work, most likely months of paperwork, and your aunt is using the result of that, simply because she can. "Pleased because parking can be busy" hardly sounds like she's desperate for the space. He clearly needs it, or he wouldn't have gone to all that effort.

Legally she can, but it's a dick move on her part when she has been perfectly ok to just park a few spaces down all this time.

Original poster
ProbablyNotMad · 08/08/2023 19:53

When I called the council about it they didn't say who had requested the parking bay. They just repeated that it is for use for anyone with a blue badge and it isn't allocated for one person. Who requested it didn't seem to be important.

I didn't realise that councils do not give disabled spaces to people that have driveways so didnt know it was relevant when I posted. The diagram is pretty clear though so I dont see how that is a drip feed.

Someone commented that my aunt is cheeky just because she gets 'a bit tired' taking the shopping in. These sort of comments are a list and really disparaging to anyone that has been through the process to get a blue badge. They do not give blue badges out easily. I am not going to go into my aunt's disabilities but safe to say it isn't that she just 'gets a bit tired'. She struggles daily but on some days she is even more tired and has shopping to carry and the space is a real help.

OP posts:
Needanewnamebeingwatched · 08/08/2023 15:22

Anyone can park in the bay as its advisory only.

I think your aunt should have the space as she doesn't have a driveway

h3ll0o · 08/08/2023 15:13
  1. Contact the police about the initial harassment. They’ll send a PCSO round to speak to him
  2. Log all incidents and obtain proof if you can
  3. Check if the space was due to her application, if it was sent him evidence
  4. If the harassment continues send an official solicitors letter explaining it is harassment and they will be reported to the police every time they behave inappropriately
GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut · 08/08/2023 15:12

Has your aunt asked the council what the outcome is of her request? I agree that if neighbour has a driveway it's unlikely he would have been successful in getting a disabled bay - he doesn't need one.

Best result would be if your aunt can post through something from the council saying it is actually her request that got the space, not his, that would hopefully knock the wind from his sails and make her more comfortable using it.

PrrrplePineapple · 08/08/2023 15:08

The neighbor has his own drive but wants a disabled space for him to use only when he has visitors?

So the rest of the time he wants an empty space on the road JUST IN CASE?

This is beyond unreasonable. If your aunt requested a disabled bay too, it's doubly tough luck for him. Whoever is there first and has a disabled badge can use it, and if he has his own drive he shouldn't be asking for an unnecessary space anyway.

Gingerkittykat · 08/08/2023 15:01

Has your aunt put in her own official application for a BB space? There is more than one in my street.

EvilElsa · 08/08/2023 14:57

Willyoujustbequiet · 08/08/2023 14:52

Drip feeds are so annoying.

Agree 🥴

TenderDandelions · 08/08/2023 14:56

Also on our council guidance it says "If an applicant has a driveway or an alternative off-road parking space, the application will be turned down."

So, if he has a driveway, there's a good chance his application was turned down and it's actually your Aunt's application that was successful and he's the CF!

TenderDandelions · 08/08/2023 14:53

Look up the local council's website and print out the relevant page or form from the Disabled Parking bay application.

I just looked at our local council's application form and it clearly states on it:

"A Disabled Persons Parking Bay is not exclusively for the use of the applicant. The reservation of parking spaces for particular individuals on public highway is not permitted, and therefore any motorist displaying a valid Blue Bade may use these bays."

Highlight the same paragraph and stick it through his door and put another highlighted copy on your own dashboard.

On our council's form, you have to sign a declaration which also states "I acknowledge that I do not have ownership or legal rights over the use of the Disabled Persons Parking Bay that may be provided" and "I acknowledge that any vehicle displaying a legal blue bade is entitled to use the Disabled Parking bay"

Willyoujustbequiet · 08/08/2023 14:52

Drip feeds are so annoying.

Willyoujustbequiet · 08/08/2023 14:50

I can understand why he is upset. He's gone to the effort of trying to sort a disabled space as he clearly thinks he needs it and along comes your aunt who hasn't bothered to do so herself and has the cheek to use it.

It may be perfectly legal and of course no harrassment is justified but morally its bang out of order.

MinnieGirl · 08/08/2023 14:42

If the neighbour has a drive he can access then he wouldn’t be entitled to a disabled bay…
I suspect the bay was put in for your Aunt…especially as it is in front of her house. Contact them again and ask who made the application for that bay.

hadhimoverabarrel · 08/08/2023 14:42

miniaturepixieonacid · 08/08/2023 14:30

Oh. Well all parts of your update completely change things. Why didn't you say so? You'd have got very different responses.

Agree. So weird not to include that in the OP.

Given the update, I am surprised the man got a disabled space when he has a driveway.

AutumnCrow · 08/08/2023 14:42

To be fair, the OP included the dropped kerb and driveway of the neighbour in her diagram and the neighbour was never going to get a disabled bay as well.

Like @JenniferAllisonPhillipaSue says, the Council would have offered him a painted H-bar on the road opposite his dropped kerb.

But yeah, helpful to have the full facts in an OP!

Allthefeel · 08/08/2023 14:36

miniaturepixieonacid · 08/08/2023 14:30

Oh. Well all parts of your update completely change things. Why didn't you say so? You'd have got very different responses.

This often happens when threads aren't going as planned.

BlueBlubbaWhale · 08/08/2023 14:36

You need to find out whose request has led to the space.

miniaturepixieonacid · 08/08/2023 14:30

Oh. Well all parts of your update completely change things. Why didn't you say so? You'd have got very different responses.

GoodChat · 08/08/2023 13:50

Do his visitors have limited mobility too?

Can't they just communicate and he let her know when he's expecting visitors so they can work together?