Mum gets parking fines worth £1k despite exemption

A Kent mother has received £1,260 worth of fines for dropping her daughter off at school despite being a blue badge holder.

Marlene Nwaokolo, from Walderslade in Chatham, has been fined £70 on 18 separate occasions for using a School Street even though blue badge holders are exempt from the restrictions.

She received a court order in April over the fines despite having been reassured she qualified for an exemption, she said.

Medway Council said it was withdrawing the fines and reviewing its internal processes.

The authority introduced School Streets near seven schools in the area in March 2024 in an attempt to improve safety and air quality.

The roads become pedestrian and cycle-only zones during term-time drop-off and pick-up periods.

Number plate recognition cameras are used to enforce the restrictions, but residents, their carers and blue badge holders are exempt.

Ms Nwaokolo was temporarily using a courtesy car in November and December – when the fines were issued – but said she gave the council the new vehicle registration, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Ms Nwaokolo said that receiving penalty charge notices (PCNs) for using the street was making her health "a lot worse" and she was concerned about her credit rating.

"It's actually got to the point that I'm scared to open the mail, because every time I open the mail, there is a new citation or a penalty charge," she said.

"What annoys me the most is that they have assured me that I am exempt, that I don't need to pay for this, and yet they are now taking it to court because I haven't paid."

Medway Council said it apologised for "any distress caused" and that the fines issued "were due to a delay in processing a change of vehicle exemption".

"We are also reviewing internal processes to prevent similar occurrences in the future."

The local authority is currently consulting on expanding School Streets to nine further sites in Medway.

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