Clwyd South AM drives Corwen parking clampdown

ASSEMBLY Member Ken Skates is calling for a clampdown on drivers illegally using disabled bays in Corwen town centre.

Mr Skates, the Labour AM for Clwyd South, has also written to Denbighshire County Council to see if more bays can be created for disabled drivers on the high street, where there are currently only two.

Mr Skates recently met local resident Colin Johnson, who says the lack of parking for blue badge holders has been a problem in Corwen for more than a decade.

Mr Johnson, an ex-Marine, said the fact other drivers are increasingly using the designated disabled bays illegally – and leaving their cars there all day – is compounding the issue.

 Mr Skates said: “Mr Johnson contacted me recently to raise his concerns about the lack of disabled bays on the high street and the abuse of the few that are there, and he tells me it has been a problem for some time.

 “Although there is plenty of parking for disabled people a few minutes away from the main square in Corwen, that doesn’t help people with mobility issues who perhaps cannot manage a five-minute walk uphill to get into the town centre.

 “I am looking into what can be done to improve the situation and whether more parking spaces on the high street can be designated for blue badge holders to improve accessibility for them, and I am also looking into the issue of how the rules can be enforced to discourage those who flout them from continuing to do so.”