Is this entitled of me?

[Mailfuckoff]

I took my dc shopping at Westfield today for a treat as they have a disney shop and a lego shop. Ds needs a wheelchair for shopping as his legs get tired for long distances. We have a bluebadge for him as well. Firstly I couldn't find a disabled spot which meant it's tight getting ds and wheelchair out. Secondly there is no discount for the car park at the weekend which I didn't know so it cost my 9 pounds to park there. Am I being entitled to want wheelchair spaces and a discount on my parking charge as driving to the shopping centre is our only option.

BlueberryPud. Sulflower. My mother is a blind 93 year old and fractured her neck of femur last Christmas. My sister uses a wheelchair permanently and is severely physically disabled. I’ve done my fair share of wheelchair pushing and understand fully the challenges it can create. Pushing a chair across a level car park isn’t one of the most insurmountable ones. The OP has a child who is an occasional wheelchair user.

I think you've misunderstood the signs and are muddled. There's absolutely loads of disabled parking in Westfield White City and the bays were mostly empty today. In fact whole car park was really quiet. August I guess.

@Neshoma

It's also free at Crystal Peaks and nearly always less busy. I got mad love for CP.

@Mailfuckoff

No I don't think you're being entitled. But I do think there were probably spaces. I haven't been to White City but I was in the Stratford Westfield a couple of months ago and there were a lot of spaces. But definitely use the Smart Park thing, it saves you a good amount.

Lots of places give discounts to people based on their status - most cinemas, for example. I have always believe that it's because disabled people have high costs compared to those who are able bodied. So I don't think you're entitled to hope for a discounted rate.

When you are disabled it can take longer to get in and out of the car and for many involves getting equipment in and out.
It can take longer to get around - wheelchair accessible routes only, waiting for the lift, finding a cafe that has suitable accessibility etc.
Actual shopping, eating etc may take longer.
You may need a disabled toilet or changing place type toilet which may take longer to get to.
The entire trip takes longer and a discount on the parking just means that you are paying no more than other people are who are doing the same trip.

I really don't understand the comments on here saying BB holders should not get discounted or free parking. Even from people who are BB holders themselves!
Just think of this scenario: a disabled person with cerebral palsy resulting in quadriplegia, whose living costs are exponentially higher as they need extra heating and lighting, who is unable to work because of their disability, and may have carers for most of the day. Their income is very limited, they have no chance of saving money, everything they do is so much harder than for a non disabled person. Occasionally they may get to go to a shopping centre but have to park on a cold car park and be pushed some distance to the entrance. It can take a long time to get them out of a car. Why on earth would anyone then expect them to pay for their space, which is going to go into the pockets of some wealthy corporation?
And yes, not all people with disabilities are income poor, lots of people who are income poor are not disabled, and if they have several childrenit could cost them a lot to use public transport. Plus there are others who abuse the BB system and use it even if the person with a disability isn't with them.
That should NOT be the reason not to have free parking for BB holders. Don't make life any harder than it may already be.

@Bezm but what about other vulnerable people in society? As I said upthread what about an 85 year old who only has a state pension on which to live?

I don’t know about the UK but here it’s pittance.

@Bezm but what about other vulnerable people in society? As I said upthread what about an 85 year old who only has a state pension on which to live?

I don’t know about the UK but here it’s pittance.

They can't know precisely how many blue badge holders are going to want to shop there. They work out how many disabled parking spaces to allow so that usually there will be enough, sometimes too many, but occasionally, inevitably, there won't be enough. I think it's very, very unreasonable to expect that there will always be a space available when you want one. That's just not how parking works for anyone, anywhere.

Yes YABU

There are B.B. spaces, they just happened to be full. It's unfortunate, but that is all.

And I also think the same about the free parking. B.B. holders benefit from free parking in many places, but sometimes you still have to pay. I don't see anything wrong with that tbh.

£9 is shit whether you are disabled or not though!

I don't understand why massive out-of-town shopping centres charge for parking. Isn't that the whole point of being out-of-town?! I know it must seem very lucrative on the face of it, but if they look at the bigger picture, free parking must be an enormous draw leading to people spending a load, which would mean super-profitable shops, so fewer empty units - for which they could then charge increased rents. Merry Hill on the outskirts of Birmingham doesn't charge anybody anything and you can virtually always find a space with little faff (sorry, OP - not very local to you). As a PP commented, Solihull is very expensive for parking, so on the occasions when we do need to go to a massive shopping place, we would always choose Merry Hill over Solihull for that single reason - and I'm sure we're not alone in that. See also massive retail parks that have loads of shops but a limit of two hours free parking before you get a fine. Places where nobody would park other than to use the shops. Great way to discourage maximum customer spend

I can understand the space but no discount

At Westfield you get 4hrs free parking with blue badge (holder must go to customer services to get it endorsed, must pay ordinary charge if they stay longer) but not at weekends. They say that 5% of bays are for disabled use.

What I find weird is that although you need be only 17 to drive yourself there, you have to be 18 to use one of their shopmobility scooters.

I think there absolutely should be a discount for disabled parking. I can't manage more than one or two shops because of my disability. This means I have to go half a dozen times just to do what able people do in one trip. Therefore if there's no discount I pay substantially more than able people to park to do the same amount of shopping.

As a wheelchair user I can't use buses in my particular situation, and wheelchair taxis have to be booked a week in advance and cost a fortune. I've also been left stranded by them, so generally won't use them after that.

It can sometimes take double the length of time to get round a single shop when fighting to move things out of aisles, having to go round the back of places to find the accessible entrance or get to the end of a pavement to find there is no dropped kerb to have to double back. This is a constant thing, not a once in a while occurrence. Many shops aren't accessible at all - a good 70% off the town centre I live in I can't get in at all, and another 20% I struggle with. Leaving probably under 10% that have level access and wide aisles.

Also because of pain/fatigue the way I normally have to shop if I'm going to is lots of little journeys, rather than being there all day. The cost of doing this - on top of paying for a carer to be with me - adds up considerably.

So free or reduced priced parking is incredibly appreciated and just makes life a little easier in one particular way. Of course there are other groups on a low income as well, but adding low income plus all the above plus lots of other issues with getting around it is a big help.

MadMags - I don't think it's about income, but do you know the basic rate of the pension is generally more than Employment and Support Allowance? And if the pensioner only gets the basic pension and nothing else it will be topped up with pension credit in addition making it much more.

So if you think they are on a pittance, disabled people are often on less plus have all the access needs on top that I've already spoken about.

The point is many car parks already offer discounted or free postage to blue badge holders (not all) and it really makes me sad people think that should be taken away when it helps so many disabled people.

The point is many car parks already offer discounted or free postage to blue badge holders (not all) and it really makes me sad people think that should be taken away when it helps so many disabled people.

Nobody is talking about taking anything away that's already in place.

I'm not in the UK, which is why I said I don't know what pensioners are on there.

It was a general example though, just pointing out that it's a pricey can of worms!

And if the pensioner only gets the basic pension and nothing else it will be topped up with pension credit in addition making it much more.

No i don't think that's right.

I know many many people who are on state pension and that is all they get!

They are probably counting pension credit as part of the pension, as it will be paid with it rather than a separate benefit. It tops up the basic rate, but usual if they have any other income at all such as a small private pension they won’t get it.

www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/benefits-entitlements/pension-credit/

Yanbu or entitled op. It is bloody expensive having a disability or caring for someone with a disability. My disabled child costs me double the amount my non-disabled children.

Bear in mind that discounting parking for BB holders costs the tax payers nothing if it is a commercial shopping car park.

Pension credit doesn’t top up the state pension as a matter of course though.

State pension is more than the £163 that pension credit tops up to. It would only be for people who didn’t get full state pension.

And no the people I work with are not counting pension credit as part of the state pension. They get state pension. Not pension credit.

Well that's strange, as when I used to do means testing if someone didn't have any other source of income they usually got pension credit, but I'm sure there are some exceptions as with all benefits.

They would only get pension credit to top up a state pension if they were not entitled to full state pension. It's not given over and above the state pension.

No, you're wrong. My MIl gets a full state pension plus a very small private pension and she also gets pension credit. This is not actual money, but she gets her rent paid and extra reduction on her council tax. She actually manages very well in this, and lives quite a comfortable life.

For those who asked about other vulnerable people such a small pensioners not getting reduced parking, they do get free bus passes, so it shouldn't cost them anythin! My MIl has been all over the country with her bus pass!!,

There's a car park near us that has a sign reading "Disabled must pay"...I assume they mean for parking but it's a twinge eugenics sounding.