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Alister and Sophie Campbell with son Archie |
U-turn: Archie’s parking ticket is torn up
A FAMILY with a young disabled child scored a rare victory over Camden’s parking chiefs after council bosses agreed to drop a penalty charge.
The Campbell family were ticketed while they dropped off their five-year-old son Archie – who suffers from a life-threatening genetic condition that makes him unable to walk or speak – at a music therapy class in Lissenden Gardens, Kentish Town last month.
Parking officials acknowledged the Islington family’s appeals that their blue badge had been stolen, but ruled the fine should still stand, until the New Journal intervened.
They have now agreed to repay the parking ticket.
Sophie Campbell said the attitude of the council’s parking department was causing “unnecessary stress” to families already struggling with disability.
She added: “Some of the families with disabilities are at risk of social exclusion.
“If you’re frightened about the risk of parking wardens it puts people off going out altogether. It’s not fair to blue badge users. Their lives are more difficult.”
Husband Alister said he believed it was only because they had approached the newspaper that the council had changed their minds.
“Otherwise they would have called in the bailiffs,” he said.
A council spokeswoman said: “The council works hard to ensure that parking reserved for blue badge holders is not abused by other drivers.
“Having reviewed the circumstances we are now happy that Mr Campbell did everything he could to park according to the law once he realised his blue badge had been stolen.
“We have therefore agreed to cancel the ticket that was issued to him and will refund the charge in full.” |
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