The picture featured below says it all about the state of austerity and the priorities of Waverley’s Tory Councillors!
‘Your Waverley’ has made disabled adaptations to the access to the Pay and Display car parks so they can take the change out of a disabled drivers pocket…
BUT – you wouldn’t Adam and Eve it … the disabled won’t be able to reach the machine from their wheelchairs to flash their cash!
Here at the Waverley Web we ask? Why should the disabled pay for austerity? Councillors had a choice: Why penalise a section of our society who have enough hurdles to cross just getting through their everyday lives?
In terms of parking charges, in addition to a general increase in charges on a proportion of the busiest car parks, three options were considered.
These were:
- Sunday charging, overnight charging and charging Blue Badge holders (who had previously been able to park for free, for unlimited periods). So, members opted for the introduction of Blue Badge parking charges in preference to Sunday charging or evening charging.
This is the criteria for applying for a free permit: includes the lower and higher rate of Attendance Allowance in addition to the higher rate of Personal Independence Payment and the higher rate of Disability Living Allowance.
Finally – and you couldn’t make this up – somebody in a wheelchair is still not at the right height to put money in the machine!!
If Sunday charging had been introduced the “tory party at prayer” would have to pay to park for Sunday morning church services and councillors know more church goers than disabled people.
They need to pray!