Charging disabled badge holders to park in disabled spaces

riversmeade

The Peel Shopping Centre in STOCKPORT charges disabled badge holders to park in disabled spaces. This is in tiny print on their information boards and from the feedback, lots of disabled drivers have received £100 fines. Is this disgraceful practise common in other parts of the UK? Can it be challenged?

maisie_cat

A disabled parking permit is a right to park in the space, but not necessarily for free and charging is very common in car parks.

Fruitcake

The blue badge scheme does not apply on private land. Private landowners are perfectly entitled to charge all motorists for parking, but must make reasonable adjustments for disabled persons with protected characteristics in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. This Act makes no mention of payment concessions for disabled motorists, and does not mention the blue badge scheme.

A motorist should assume they are required to pay in a pay and display car park. If concessions are available for certain types of motorist, then the signs should say so, but the default position for all drivers should be, you have to pay, and you don't get three hours free parking.

Motorists won't have received fines for parking in the Peel Centre. Many motorists will have received parking charge notices for parking there from one of the country's most litigious unregulated private parking companies.

I see nothing disgraceful about charging blue badge holders for parking, which is quite common across the whole of the UK. What is disgraceful is PPCs and landowners not complying with the Equality Act 2010, and unregulated private parking companies inventing ruthless and unethical methods for fleecing motorists.

Fruitcake

maisie_cat said:

A disabled parking permit is a right to park in the space, but not necessarily for free and charging is very common in car parks.

It is not a right to park. It is an indication that an occupant of the vehicle has a disability.