Blue Badge parking charge plan labelled 'cruel'

More than 1,400 residents in south-east London have signed a petition calling on Bromley Council to halt plans which would see Blue Badge holders being charged to use its own car parks.

Bromley Council approved the motion at a meeting last month.

Sian Pugh, who has multiple sclerosis, started the petition against the scheme, calling the move "cruel" and "discriminatory".

The council has been approached for comment.

Ms Pugh said the Blue Badge scheme was essential for her family, including her daughter who also has a condition which leaves her in chronic pain, as it allows them to use council-owned spaces for free to minimise the pain associated with walking between destinations.

She said she was worried the "ignorant" proposal would cause her to be charged each time she parks in a different space on Orpington High Street to access local services.

"Anywhere we go, we have to drive," she said.

"We don't have a choice, able-bodied people have a choice… To me, this is completely discriminatory.

"It's discriminating against disabled people who don't have a choice. It's cruel."

The Tory-run authority approved the plan at a meeting on 20 November, despite the proposal being criticised by several opposition councillors for the lack of a formal consultation or assessment beforehand.

Conservative councillor Keith Onslow broke party ranks and labelled the plan a "back of a fag packet calculation", saying he felt there was limited evidence the council would generate revenue from the charging.

But Nicholas Bennett, the council's portfolio holder for transport, highways and road safety, told the meeting: "I would point out, we're talking about people who own and run a car and the average cost of running a car every month is £300. We're talking about a parking fee which could be between £1.10 and £1.60.

"People who have Blue Badges have to pay for their petrol, they have to pay for their oil, they have to pay for their servicing, they have to pay for their tyres. For all these things, there is no discount if you have got a Blue Badge."

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