A LONG-SERVING carer is shocked that a parking fine she was issued while carrying out her duties as a key worker was not written off.

Alison Cross, 54, from Marsh Gibbon, parked her car slightly over the white line of a parking bay in Bicester's Claremont Car Park on October 20.

She said she was taking a client - who is disabled and uses a wheelchair - shopping for essential items at the time, and parked slightly over to the right of a bay in order to create more space for her client to get in and out of the car.

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The carer paid £1.60 for a parking ticket which she displayed in her vehicle, but once she returned she discovered she had been fined.

Mrs Cross said: "Imagine my dismay to find on my return a fixed penalty notice of £40 for failing to park in a designated bay. My car wheel had encroached into another parking bay. I didn't know I'd gone over the line."

thisisoxfordshire: Carer Alison Cross is angry at Cherwell District Council for not waiving her parking fine that she got at Claremont Car Park because she parked a little over the white line. She thought the council would be lenient given the tough year 2020 was and that s

Mrs Cross, who has been a carer for 30 years, says her client 'won't entertain' her getting a blue badge which would allow her to park in disabled bays which have more space.

So she challenged APCOA - Cherwell District Council's outsourced parking company - the following day via its website, but said she did not receive a response.

She said: "According to the website they replied on the 23rd but I received no reply by email or Royal Mail. On December 14 I received a demand for £100 through the post saying the fine had increased as we had failed to pay or challenge the original fine."

Mrs Cross called APCOA and was told that an email had been sent to her on October 23.

She said: "I told the APCOA operative that no such email was sent and then relayed my version of events hoping that some leniency would be applied to my plight.

"I was not happy with the attitude and detail of the response, so I asked to be given access to a superior to plead my case further."

She said she was then told to contact the council, which she did, but although her fine was reduced back down to £40 she was disappointed that it was not cancelled altogether.

thisisoxfordshire: Carer Alison Cross is angry at Cherwell District Council for not waiving her parking fine that she got at Claremont Car Park because she parked a little over the white line. She thought the council would be lenient given the tough year 2020 was and that s

Mrs Cross said: "They said I wouldn't have received an email from APCOA but that I would have received a letter. I told them that I hadn't received either, so who was telling porkies?

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"I explained that I thought in this year especially, some leniency may be shown to a key worker as we are supposed to be held in some regard. I was getting really upset on the phone, but it still didn't make any difference.

"Apparently the council think if they let a key worker off parking over a white line slightly, they have to let everyone off. I find this a little hard to swallow. So for carrying out my duties for this vulnerable lady it has cost me £41.60.

"I couldn't believe they didn't waive the fine. It's terrible."

A Cherwell council spokesperson said: “Clear instructions are provided on the information board to advise customers of the parking regulations in force. Blue badges are available for those with limited mobility and people driving them whilst in their care.

"This entitles the permit holder to use wider disabled bays which are available in all our car parks in Bicester.”

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