..to think that I ought to be able to park for nothing (with DS's blue badge) in a normal space if all the disabled spaces are used up?

[JarOfHearts]

At a hospital as well!

I got a parking ticket.. which I disputed as (admittedly) I had not read the signs describing the new rules saying that EVERYONE needed to buy a ticket if using a normal space.

The appeal has not been upheld (due to me "ignoring" the new rules.) I have to pay the fine. But they have "kindly" given me an extra week to come up with the money!

DS has loads of appointments at the hospital for his various complex needs. He is a wheelchair user with challenging violent behaviour. I am extremely grateful for our blue badge which means that parking and getting him out the of the car and into his chair (trigger points for violence) is quicker and slightly less problematic than it would be otherwise.

What about the people with serious mobility problems? They expect them to park (miles away sometimes; it's a huge busy car park with a tiny percentage of disabled space), struggle to a machine, buy a ticket, struggle back to their car etc etc. Blue badges EXIST to prevent all this surely!

The council accept that blue badger users can park for free is ordinary spaces in their car parks. Why would the NHS, of all people, decide otherwise! And their tickets are horribly expensive compared to council ones too.

This is bloody unreasonable surely!

I am amazed as all the hospitals I've been to with DD have policy in place that you get a car park pass from the clinic/ward that allows you to park free, regardless of whether you hold a blue badge. This has been for oncology appointments or children's ward, both North Yorkshire and Leeds.

You didn't receive a parking fine though - you received an invoice. Which you don't need to pay. Parking tickets / fines are issued by the police or council on public roads. Invoices are issued by private companies on private ground (shopping centre car parks, hospital car parks etc.) Feel free to ignore the invoice. It's a civil matter of contract law. T'internet is full of info on this.

Good luck with your letter.

Bugger. I put attend instead of "intend" at the end... Now I look like an Illiterate-Ms-Angry-From-Scunthorpe!! Damn sleep deprivation...

Herbie.. yes v v v unfair... never even thought of that aspect... everything taking so much longer/costing more! How ing for you! :(

Thank you Kinky..

I do orchi.. because I don't want debt recovery people giving me hassle and also, maddeningly (because I something of a rebel about things like this), we can never ever owe anything because it's a condition of DP's job and if connected to him in any way can have repercussions. So I'm told

Oh interesting stuff from orchidee - I remember that being the case here in a local car park. Another angle for the locaal rag?

I am lucky in that I don't know what oncology do for their patients re parking at the K&C. It would redeem them somewhat in my eyes if at least concessions where made for cancer suffers and their families.

But no, definitely nothing like that for disabled kids' families..

I fully sympathise with your situation. Hospital parking and charges is very controversial. Many patients are there for appointments and have mobility problems, not all have blue parking badges. I will never forget the 2 months our son spent in a full length cast, unable to walk at all at first and in a wheelchair (loaned from the Red Cross in Canterbury as NHS do not loan them - btw it was Kent and Canterbury hospital!!!), I had equally a 6 year old and 2 year old who had to sit on the wheelchair too. Just those few appointments without blue badge and parking far from the entrance made me realise how hard it is for many patients less mobile still to get to the hospital.

I remember watching a TV report about a chemotherapy patient fighting for the right to lesser parking charges and also those horrid TV and telephones in hospitals. She was spending a fortune on parking - yes it is very common for blue badge holders to pay for parking even in the reserved bays. To the lady in this report, it was as if she was paying financially for her illness, as if cancer was not stressful enough.

Honestly, for £15 I would pay the fine. I personally would be more :-( about the distance involved in transportation and try and find a solution with the hospital to get as close to the door of the hospital with your son supervised at drop-off / pick-up if this is at all workable, if you have to park further away.

Not tax exempt no.. who is?

Jar if your son gets HRM then he is tax exempt from paying car tax. Has no one told you this before?
I don't pay car tax on my car (and it doesn't have to be a mobility car either, your own is the same rules) as I have 2 SLD boys, I get it free for one car, partner for his.

As for the parking ticket, definately challenge it, it's ridiculous. How is it your fault that all the few bays were used up?

Fantastic letter, let us know what response you get!

As far as I am concerned nobody should have to pay to park at a hopsital. Nobody goes there from choice and the last thing you need (especially when rushed to a and e at 3am) is to have to worry about paying to park!

The memory of trying to find parking in my local hospital is one of the triggers for my PTSD. Sounds ridiculous I know.

But trying to find a space whilst my terminally ill DD is in agony and worrying about how I would get her out and into her chair and then into the ward whilst its raining and cold.

Then having to worry about my car getting towed if I couldnt find a proper space and had to park anywhere near enough the entrance. Having to leave her and go back and sort the car out and thinking she would be frightened without me.

I cant even drive past that damn place without shaking.

I really hope your email gets you somewhere. It is disgusting that parents/families of seriously ill people have to have an added stress thrust upon them because of something as bloody mundane as parking.

thefirstMrsDeVere that's awful, I'm so sorry that you and your DD had to go through that.

Everyone has to pay at our hospital, blue badge holders included. I think it should be free for everyone as it's not like anyone is there by choice. I usually get the bus to the hospital (which costs even more than the extortionate car parking but that's another thread) so I don't pay for the car park unless dh is with me but a lot of people are there often and it must cost them a fortune.

YANBU.

Lots of places charge blue badge holders to park, wherever they park (although far more don't charge BB holders). But i've not been anywhere there is a difference in price between parking in a disabled bay and an ordinary one. This is very strange to me because of the difficulty of actually finding a blue badge bay, ESPECIALLY at a hospital where there are likely to be more people needing a blue badge bay. Also write to your local councillors and MP.

Mention mumsnet when you write to them, expressing our outrage - that usually gets things in the papers!!

our LA has just refused to give free parking to disabled users in our local towns new massive carparl

If your there often enough OP, it might be worth asking the parking peopleabout a 3 monthly pass. When DH was first dx'ed with cancer he was there alot, and the macmillian nurse wrote a quick note to parking people and we got 3 month ticket for £30, which saved alot of money and time.