Cornwall Council to review £3,300 disabled parking bay charge

A council says it will "urgently" review the amount it charges applicants for creating disabled bays outside their homes.

A woman with multiple sclerosis from Cornwall said it would have cost her £3,800 to put in a special space where she lives.

Cornwall Council says the cost is now £3,300, but some local authorities charge £40 while others are free.

Council leader Adam Paynter announced an urgent review of the current policy.

"People with a disability should not be disadvantaged by a policy and our practice needs to be consistent with the rest of the country," he said.

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Deb Race, who lives in St Austell, decided against putting the disabled bay outside her home, saying paying £3,800 for the disabled bay "didn't seem fair".

Deb Race decided against putting in a disabled bay outside her home due to the cost

The council said in the past creating a disabled bay cost £3,800 - for a Traffic Regulation Order, advertising, public consultation and painting the new space - but it says the cost is actually now around £3,300.

However, once installed the space does not guarantee parking for an individual as it is available for any disabled person to use.

Cornwall Council says it has suspended any further charges while the review is carried out.

Disability Cornwall chairman Steve Paget welcomes the move and says the charge is another example of the barriers to independence disabled people face on a daily basis.

"We would support any move that would reduce any cost to disabled of disabled people being able to participate in society as equal members," he said.