Battle over parking space for her dad

Oct 2 2009 by Stuart Wilson

A FURIOUS daughter claims council chiefs shunned pleas to help her frail dad.

Janine Summers wants to apply for a disabled parking bay outside their house in Tarbolton.

Her 72-year-old dad, Ross MacPherson, suffers from a parkinsonian disorder similar to motor neuron disease.

So a reserved parking bay outside their home is a must, says worried Janine.

But she claims council officials told her the application would be rejected – unless Ross applied himself.

She insisted: “It’s absolutely ridiculous to ask that of my dad because he’s not in the condition to even write a letter.

“He holds a blue badge for the car I drive and, because of that, the council told me it needed to be him who applied for the parking space.

“But I hold full legal power of attorney for him so don’t understand why I was told that.”

Ross, who uses a wheelchair, suffers from Progressive Supranuclear Palsy which is a rare brain disorder.

He’s currently recovering after a fall last week which broke his wrist.

And Janine believes that underlined the urgent need for a parking space outside the front door.

She revealed: “Sometimes it can be difficult to get parked near the house and it’s a big concern for us.

“When I phoned the council I was passed between four people and eventually told I had no chance of being successful with the application, which seemed ridiculous in the situation.”

A South Ayrshire council spokesperson added: “At the time Mrs Summers spoke to us it was not made clear that she had a power of attorney in place.

“We are grateful to the Ayrshire Post for providing more details and in keeping with council policy would welcome a written submission from her regarding the matter.”