To think Llawnroc parking are breaking discrimination law?

[WheelyMom]

Llawnroc Parking Services have sent me an email re: parking charges and written this as part of their reply, I'm gobsmacked....

Direct quote "We are not obligated to allow free parking for disabled drivers, in fact there are very few car parks that now allow this due to 54% of blue badges being used fraudulently, and it also means no discrimination is taking place because you are being treated the same as anyone else."

So AIBU...are they breaking discrimination law or are disabled drivers not entitled to get reasonable adjustments? Is this even legal?

Are they providing disabled spaces but saying that blue badge holders must pay the same as everyone else? If so, I can't see that they are discriminating. Its like this where I live, disabled spaces are provided on most car parks but they are not usually free.

Blue Badge holders are allowed to park in places where others can't but not necessarily for free. I think.

Which bit is discrimination? Providing free parking doesn’t fall under reasonable adjustment.
As a blue badge holder, my problem is my mobility, not my ability to pay to park somewhere.

plenty of car parks round here charge blue badge holders - having the badge just means better/closer parking spots, not free

In my county there is no free parking on any local authority car parks for Blue Badge Holders. There is no free parking at the hospital either.The reasonable adjustment means providing a wider space which is specifically for blue badge holders. So clearly YABU.

Some parking machines aren't accessible to wheelchair users, and you can get one if you have severe upper limb disability, which can make using parking machines too.

There’s no obligation to provide parking for free, no idea if it’s always been that way but, I noticed when I took DH to our local city NHS hospital last week that they had notices up stating disabled parking is no longer free. So there’s loads of disabled parking bays provided, and you do have to display your B.B. to use them, but they are now charging the same rate as everyone else.

Always wondered why blue badge holders don't have to pay for parking - disability doesnt necessarily meam low income and inability to pay. Cant seen any discrimination here.

I read elsewhere that free parking was a reasonable adjustment as it allows disabled people who need to drive to access services without being penalised, where a mobile person is able to walk and therefore not need to pay for parking?

I agree there is no obligation to provide free parking however often disabled people are also on a very low income and don't go out often due to cost so to increase the costs will restrict them further. My local hospital you have to take your blue badge to reception and are issued an exit ticket for free. It's great when you're at the hospital as often as I am!

Our town council car parks charge for blue badge parking now too.

I have to drive (and therefore park) everywhere. If I could walk then I would not need to pay for parking. Parking costs seem an unreasonable penalty for not being able to walk everywhere.

I completely get where you’re coming from and I believe that making disabled people pay the same as non disabled people to park isn’t providing reasonable adjustments.

If I want to go shopping and pay for an hours parking I can do less than half in that hour than the other members of my family. I have to make 2 or 3 trips or pay for twice as much parking in some places. It’s not fair at all.

Free parking for blue badge holders has been steadily reducing for the past ten years. Where I live there is almost no cost reduction for blue badge parking.

One result is that blue badge holders make more use of the permission to park on double yellows for up to two hours, so long as they are not causing an obstruction.

I would write back to them to dispute their figures on fraudulent use of blue badges, but they are not discriminating by charging.

The government position on this is that PIP provides extra money to cover increased costs of daily living. I have to pay out a LOT on parking, and don't qualify for PIP, so that's a crock of shit, but not the parking company's crock of shit.

As it happens, PIP doesn't even begin to cover my extra costs but I see your point. I need about £60k worth of home adaptations plus lost income!

It's incredibly frustrating to be denied reasonable adjustments on the back of an argument that blue badge holders are mostly frauds. There are companies out there who are doing amazing things to support people with disability to stay mobile (and not taking pot shots). Stagecoach have been fantastic so far - I called them as I need to use the bus this week and they are sending out a bus so that I can practice getting on and off the bus...they are sending me a bus!!

I didn't realise councils still did free parking, ours hasn't for years.

On the surface of it the fraudulent use argument is specious - it's not your fault if others are lying and you could challenge them on that. However, I think they would say that free blue badge spaces are too attractive to fraudulent users, and they can only keep them free for your use by making them less attractive.

• by "free for your use" I mean empty, not occupied by fradulent users' cars.

No free parking here. Plenty of Blue Badge spaces but paid for at the same price as the others.

But surely not everyone can reach the area for payment?

IT depends if you can pay. I know most pay display machines are on little concrete step no good for wheelchair users at all. If modern new carpark with low level then fair enough.

I’d be more worried about 54% badges are being abused?? Surely they make far more money asking to ID person using it with the back of th badge?