Weymouth town councillor David Harris has called on Dorset Council to reconsider its policy of charging residents for having disabled parking bays close to their home.

He says that the charge is both discriminatory, against the council policy of encouraging people to remain in their homes for as long as possible, and asks residents to pay for something which they have no ownership of.

Cabinet brief holder Cllr Ray Bryan says that having set no budget for the spaces, making a charge is the only way they can be provided.

“The provision of disabled parking bays is discretionary, there is no statutory obligation for them to be provided on the public highway... Dorset Council recognises the benefit that disabled parking bays can have. However, there is no budget allocated to their installation which is why we charge for their installation; the charge also takes into account future maintenance costs. This approach is consistently applied across the Dorset Council area,” he said.

Cllr Bryan says if an application meets the criteria, but the applicant is unable to afford the installation charge, some grant money may be available via charities, or through occupational therapists.

“While it is true that disabled parking bays (advisory or enforceable) can be used by any Blue Badge holder, they are typically well respected – particularly so in residential areas and if neighbouring residents are aware of the reason for the bay,” he said.