No Change to Disabled Bays - for the time being anyway

Despite a council report suggesting that four disabled bays in the Town Hall car park could be returned for general use, the Environment Committee decided to review occupancy again in March 2011.

Lib Dems have championed the cause of shoppers who have been dismayed at the huge increase in disabled parking bays in the Town Hall car park (from 9 to 20) which remain largely unoccupied. A meeting of the Environment Committee on 27th October heard that the bays are sometimes all occupied and that the council should not make any changes until the situation has been monitored further.

Cllr Julie Morris, who had received complaints about the potential over-supply of disabled parking bays, said "I think the decision to wait until March and see what happens was wrong because I believe the council has got it wrong here, but in some respects I also hope that I am proven wrong and that the disabled bays become more popular in the coming months. With a 27% cut in government funding we just cannot afford to have a dozen or more parking bays sitting empty in our most popular short-term car park."

Lib Dem councillors are pleased that the matter will be kept under review. A recommendation to review the situation again after one year was defeated and some councillors from other political parties were happy to support Cllr Morris's compromise suggestion of a further review in March, which will be six months after the extra disabled parking bays were installed.