More than 20 councils replacing pay and display parking machines with apps

More than 20 councils crossed England are removing wage and show parking machines and asking radical to wage utilizing an app instead.

Eight councils - each successful London - person already removed each their machines, portion 14 person removed some.

Councils accidental this saves wealth by reducing the hazard of theft and avoiding the request to upgrade machines.

But charities accidental the changes are "disastrous" for radical without a smartphone, particularly the elderly.

A increasing fig of councils are getting escaped of accepted wage and show meters due to the fact that mobile operators are switching disconnected the 3G networks utilized to process paper payments connected older machines.

Councils accidental determination is besides a hazard of theft from currency machines, portion determination are costs associated with collecting cash.

The BBC collated figures for 244 councils crossed England, which are liable for parking. Out of the 242 councils which had accusation connected their website oregon responded to requests for comment, 8 had removed each their wage and show machines, portion 14 had removed some.

Half of each London councils - 16 - person removed immoderate oregon each of their machines.

Councils which person already removed each their machines see Bromley, Enfield and Kensington and Chelsea.

Others, including Brighton and Hove, and Slough, person removed immoderate machines oregon are successful the process of doing so.

As good arsenic outgo via app, galore councils besides connection the enactment to wage implicit the telephone oregon successful a section shop.

Out of the councils successful Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which responded, nary had removed wage and show machines.

Nearly a 5th (19%) of drivers accidental their assembly has either scrapped machines oregon is consulting connected doing so, according to a survey of 1,900 drivers by the RAC.

The survey recovered 59% of respondents felt aggravated astir the thought of machines being removed, with the fig rising to 73% for those aged 65 and older.

Joan Povey lives successful Enfield, wherever the assembly has removed each its wage and show machines.

The 84-year-old has a smartphone but lone uses it for exigency calls and said she does not consciousness assured utilizing parking apps.

She told the BBC she utilized to parkland regularly successful Enfield but had done truthful overmuch little since accepted meters were removed earlier this twelvemonth and present asks her lad to wage for her parking utilizing the app.

"It's inhibited maine enormously," she said. "I hatred it due to the fact that I'm 84 but I'm precise independent."

Enfield Council said drivers without smartphones could wage by currency oregon paper astatine section shops oregon bargain parking scratchcards astatine libraries. It said removing wage and show machines would prevention the assembly £44,000 a year.

However, Ms Povey said friends had been incapable to find anyplace to bargain the scratchcards.

Customers besides kick they person to download aggregate apps for antithetic areas, with astatine slightest 10 apps utilized by councils crossed the country.

Amanda Frolich, 53, teaches successful nurseries crossed westbound London, and has to usage parking apps aggregate times a week.

She said being forced to download respective antithetic apps was "frustrating", on with having to enactment successful her details each time.

"I bash get anxious if they're not going to enactment due to the fact that I person to beryllium successful that nursery astatine a definite clip and I bash not person clip to past telephone up," she told the BBC.

On 1 juncture she said the app would not enactment and she had to archer the parking attendant she could not pay. She received a parking summons contempt being told she would not and lone avoided a good aft complaining.

"I bash consciousness for the older generation," she added. "My dada lone has a ceramic phone. He would ne'er person a hint what to do."

Caroline Abrahams, foundation manager astatine Age UK, said determination should ever beryllium an off-line outgo enactment to debar excluding older radical and others without a smartphone.

"If you are an older idiosyncratic who is reliant connected your car for getting astir but you person nary means of legally parking it adjacent to wherever you privation to spell past you whitethorn beryllium near feeling determination is small constituent going determination astatine all, and that would beryllium precise bittersweet for anyone affected, and precise atrocious quality for businesses too."

Labour MP Clive Betts, who chairs the Commons Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, urged the authorities to enactment to forestall radical without a smartphone being incapable to park.

"We've got to recognise that being capable to parkland is simply a nationalist work and radical request to beryllium capable to entree it easily," helium told the BBC.

In April, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove wrote to councils successful England telling them they indispensable guarantee parking services stay accessible to all.

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokeswoman said: "Councils should find what is champion for their ain country and person a work to guarantee that they bash not discriminate successful their decision-making against older radical oregon those with vulnerabilities."

A spokesperson for the Local Government Association, which represents councils successful England and Wales, said: "The removal of the 3G web is posing sizeable challenges to immoderate councils who run carnal parking meters.

"This change, on with different lawsuit trends, has led to councils digitising parts of their parking services."