A new move by councillors will see parking charges in town council car parks apply to all disabled badge holders regardless of their tax disc rating.

At a town management committee meeting, members were asked to consider the options to accommodate disabled parking in town council-owned car parks – Cabanya, pictured and Woodmead – following recent changes to tax disc rules.

A report by operations manager Elliott Herbert told councillors: “Currently, parking charges in the town-council owned car parks apply to disabled badge holders, except where they are in a vehicle bearing a nil-rated tax disc and displaying their blue badge and clock card which entitles them to up to three hours free parking.

“Now with no legal obligation for motorists to display a vehicle tax disc, enforcement officers can no longer quickly identify if a vehicle has a nil-rated tax disc.

“Consideration needs to be given to how to regulate disabled parking since the abolition of the tax disc.”

Members were asked to choose from three options, the first of which was to apply parking charges to all disabled badge holders regardless of their tax disc rating, in any bay, provided a blue badge and clock card are displayed.

The second option was to apply parking charges to all disabled badge holders, regardless of their tax disc rating.

And the last choice was to allow free parking for up to three hours to all disabled badge holders, regardless of their tax rating, in marked disabled bays only.

Mr Herbert added: “If members choose either of the latter two options, there is a danger that disabled badge holders would be forced to park on double yellow lines for up to three hours.”

Cllr Chris Clipson declared Woodmead Halls car park as ‘an open house’ for disabled badge holders currently.

He said: “We need to think whether this is a good use of our land and car parks, and impose some sort of restriction.”

Cllr Reynolds emphasised the need for parking spaces that give disabled badge holders easy access to Woodmead Halls.

Cllr Owen Lovell added that there is ‘simply no need’ for disabled parking to be free at Cabanya car park.

He added: “People get disability allowance that goes towards car parking and usage of their car. The easy way out would be to charge for parking.”

Cllr Clipson proposed having two disabled car parking spaces at Woodmead Halls car park, and for the cost of marking the spaces up as disabled spaces to be brought back to the next committee meeting.

Councillors voted all in favour of the recommendation, which will be considered by Full Council on November 19.