The Older People's Council met recently and expressed concern about the elimination of parking machines.

When the parking app was introduced the city was given the assurance that there would be the option of payment by machine on each road. Over one in five people still use this option. This may be for a variety of reasons such as not possessing a phone which can download apps, not having sufficient charge in a phone, the slow performance of the app itself, or a dislike or inability to use this form of technology. 

The Equality Act 2010 places a public sector duty on local authorities to reduce inequalities of outcome regarding socio-economic disadvantage. The council’s own equality impact assessment states that the discriminatory impact of removing parking machines will most adversely affect people on the basis of (older) age and disability which are themselves closely correlated.

The report acknowledges that "it is likely to lead to cases of digital exclusion" and create additional barriers and disadvantage to these groups. 

The decision to override these stated problems and press ahead regardless suggests to me an example of what Shakespeare described as a rule "more honoured in the breach than the observance". The suggested alternatives of buying a voucher or telephoning to pay are cumbersome alternatives.

This seems a cynical disregard for a substantial number of city residents, and certainly not in the spirit of the legislation.

Mary Davies

On behalf of The Older People’s Council

Brighton