Parking ticket victory for taxi boss who took standA taxi firm boss who was prepared to go to prison rather than pay a parking fine given to one of his drivers helping a disabled customer has won his fight to have the ticket cancelled.
Burbage cabbie Dave Neal, who was backed in his campaign by TV's Heartbeat star Bill Maynard – a regular customer – said he was delighted with the outcome after an adjudication hearing into his case wrote off the fine.
A parking warden issued the £30 ticket to one of his drivers, who had parked in a disabled parking space in The Borough in Hinckley town centre in December.
The driver was helping a customer using a walking frame into the nearby branch of Lloyds Bank.
He returned to his car to discover the warden issuing a ticket for not displaying a disabled badge.
Mr Neal, 48, twice appealed to Leicestershire County Council to rescind the ticket, but was told he would have to pay.
Taking a stand, he said he would rather go to jail than pay it.
Now an adjudication panel has ordered the ticket be torn up.
Mr Neal, who runs Dave's Taxis and employs nine drivers, said: "My driver was helping an elderly disabled lady into the bank and had parked in the disabled parking space for about 10 minutes.
"The warden who issued the ticket told him he should have parked further away, but it would have been too far for the lady, who was using a walking frame.
"Safety and the comfort of passengers such as that lady come first. The driver did exactly what he should have under health and safety rules, and it was the only safe place to drop her off."
TV actor Bill, 83, who often uses Dave's Taxis, said: "He helps me a lot, getting me around with my mobility scooter and his drivers are qualified to help disabled people.
"Disabled people use taxi drivers a lot, and I think the drivers should have some sort of badge.
"The man from the council who spoke at the hearing talked about getting some sort of authority for taxi drivers to be able to park where they need to, which was very understanding.
"It's a shame the warden hadn't done the same."
Tina Duane, of the Hinckley Area Taxi Association, said: "I hope to meet with the county council to talk about allowing drivers to drop off elderly and vulnerable people and have a 10-minute waiting time."
A county council spokesman said: "The parking ticket was cancelled by Leicestershire County Council at the adjudication hearing.
"The decision to cancel the ticket was made following the provision of additional information by Mr Neal at the adjudication hearing, relating to the specific circumstances involved.
"Had this information been provided to us earlier in the appeal process, it would have assisted us in coming to a decision regarding this case.
"It was stated by the parking adjudicator that the council was correct in not cancelling the parking ticket prior to the adjudication hearing, as it had not been provided with all the relevant details relating to the case.
"As with all adjudication cases, we will review the outcome of this case in relation to our parking enforcement policy."
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