By Joe McCann
A CLERGYMAN has accused Ards and North Down Council of ‘profiting from disabled children’ after he received a parking ticket while taking his disabled daughter to a dance competition at Ards Blair Mayne Leisure Centre.
Canon Jonathan Pierce, the Church of Ireland rector of St Finnian’s Parish in Cregagh, said it was ‘outrageous’ that numerous fines were handed out to the parents of disabled children who attended the event in the Newtownards leisure centre on March 27.
Rev. Pierce, whose daughter Lucy is non-verbal and a wheelchair user, said they had enjoyed a ‘lovely morning’ at the competition only to find a ticket inspector issuing them with a fine when they emerged from the centre.
The clergyman said when he arrived at the event, all of the parking bays were full so he had to park on double yellow lines but had his blue parking badge on display. Parking on yellow lines is permitted with a blue badge in some circumstances but not in council owned car parks.
When he left the event he said he had received a ticket and was informed by the ticket inspector that blue badges did not apply to private car parks which are administered by Marston Holdings Ltd on behalf of Ards and North Down Council.
Rev. Pierce said he believed traffic wardens had been hanging around the car park in a bid to administer as many tickets as possible and said tickets were also issued to other blue badge owners, including a woman who had broken her spine.
“We had a lovely morning at the dance competition,” Rev. Pierce recalled. “My daughter is a wheelchair user and non-verbal but at the leisure centre all the disabled parking spaces and every parking space was taken so we parked on a double yellow line away from interfering with any traffic and displayed our blue badge to get out her wheelchair and bring her into the competition.
“Her school’s marvellous teachers and classroom assistants had rehearsed for many months for this performance and the children absolutely smashed it and won an award.
“When we left however I was receiving a ticket and I asked the inspector why and was told that I couldn’t park there with a blue badge, which I was unaware of, I believed I just had to make sure I wasn’t impeding traffic.
“A woman had also been ticketed who also had a blue badge and a fractured spine and several other tickets had been handed out to other cars.”
Rev. Pierce said he believed the council is profiteering via fines administered through Marston Holdings Ltd, which is a debt collection company that works for local and central government and commercial clients in addition to being an approved High Court enforcement agency. The firm is based in Birmingham, England.
He said: “I just found it outrageous, from my point of view, that the council are profiting from disabled children. In the letter with the fine I received, I appealed and when they sent back evidence, their evidence included a picture of my blue badge displayed as if to say, ‘we don’t care about your blue badge’. “Numerous fines were being handed out that day and I have asked the council how much money they collected through fines issued in the car park that day.”
“My daughter is non-verbal,” he continued. “I am her voice and I just find it disgusting and outrageous. I will pay their fine, it is £45 if you pay on time and £90 if you do not.”
Rev. Pierce said the parking attendant said local residents have been told there would be a big event that day and warned not to park illegally.
“But we, as parents who live in Belfast, never received any such notification, so knowing there was a big event it seems opportunistic to do an inspection at a point where you know there won’t be enough disabled spaces and the car park will be full beyond capacity and so make a financial killing.”
In response, Ards and North Down Council said blue badge holders are not permitted to park on yellow lines in its private off-street car parks, but they are allowed to in on-street private car parks.
A spokeswoman said in response to Canon Pierce’s complaint that traffic attendants, employed by Marston Holdings on behalf of the council, patrol 25 car parks across the borough. “This includes the car park at Ards Blair Mayne Wellbeing and Leisure Complex where enforcement patrols began in December 2024, with ongoing signage and information supplied to members, clubs and visitors of the complex,” she said.
“The rights and responsibilities of blue badge holders specify that you are not entitled to park on yellow lines in ‘off-street’ car parks.
“In addition, the council has provided signage in the car park at Ards Blair Mayne Wellbeing and Leisure Complex which specifies that users must park wholly within the markings of a parking space/bay.”
Marston Holdings Ltd have been approached for comment.
