Ombudsman upholds Louth parklet complaint

Lincolnshire told to apologise over removal of disabled parking

Lincolnshire County Council has been instructed to apologise for its failure to consult with disability groups when implementing an active travel scheme involving the installation of parklets.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) ruled the council had not complied with guidance over the removal of parking spaces in Louth. The council removed three disabled parking spaces from Mercer Row in March last year as part of works designed to make the town more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists. Two of the Blue Badge spaces were reinstated in August.

The ombudsman investigated the issue after receiving a complaint from a member of the public.

The LGSCO found the council at fault for failing to consult with any local disability groups or to complete an equality assessment when designing the changes.

The council had said that specific disability groups were not easy to find online. However the ombudsman said the council had provided no evidence that it had looked for or attempted to contact any of them, adding: “There are many disability groups based in Lincolnshire that are easy to find online.”

The ombudsman criticised the local authority for poor recordkeeping and said the council should apologise to local dis- ability groups and provide training to staff.

In response to the Ombudsman report about the levels of engagement of the Louth Active Travel Scheme with people who have greater mobility challenges, a Lincolnshire spokesperson said: “We have apologised previously for the issue raised by the Local Government Ombudsman report, and we happily do so again to everyone affected by the points highlighted.

“The need for substantial engagement across all the sectors affected by such schemes is an important element in determining the correct options to pursue.

“With the ongoing experimental orders restricting both the traffic in the Cornmarket and parking availability on Mercer Row in Louth, we understand that – despite the pandemic restrictions in place at the time – more thorough engagement with local people, and in particular those with greater mobility challenges, could have been undertaken.

“We will do everything we can to ensure that learning from the experimental order helps shape the future opportunities in the town and across the county as far as enhancing walking and cycling opportunities are concerned.”