Council defends disabled parking

BASSETLAW Council has defended criticisms over stopping disabled parking on Bridge Street following the recent market.

Several disabled people have contacted the Guardian saying the council has failed in their duty of care and is unfairly discriminating against them.

Shaz Cook, 40, of Manton, is a bilteral amputee and said she now has to ask someone to take her into town to go shopping.

“It has made me feel really useless. Well done to the council for taking a little more of my independence away from me and other genuinely disabled people,” she said.

“I can see where the council is coming from moving the market further down Bridge Street but they haven’t thought at all about disabled people and how hard it is for them to get into town.”

“I am 40 and it doesn’t make me feel good to have to rely on someone to be able to get out to the shops.”

She added: “The stalls were all out even on non-market days last week, so it has really affected me.”

A council spokesman said: “This was a one-off. The market was only up one extra day last Thursday.”

“We were asked by the emergency services to put the stalls out so they could check the emergency access route.

Bassetlaw councillor Coun David Pressley added that the council offers a Shopmobility service to help disabled people shop in Worksop.

“We offer an excellent free Shopmobility Service which is available from Tuesday to Saturday,” he said.

“The council is also working with Notts County Council to look at how we can increase disabled parking in other areas when the market is in operation.”

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