Calls for action over ‘discriminatory’ policy – as County Council fails to fix Chesterfield car parking machines for several months but continues to issue parking tickets

Clive MacDonald, a retired IT consultant from Dronfield, has been left angry after he was unable to park his car in Chesterfield town centre since February.

This comes after machines accepting cash, including at Beetwell Street, St.Mary's Place, South Place and Hollis Lane have been out of order for several months making it impossible to pay for parking without a smartphone app.

Mr MacDonald said: “Council taxpayers without smartphones have the same right to enjoy the use of on street facilities as all other residents.

"It is completely unacceptable that they have effectively been excluded as a group from parking in these Chesterfield locations for the entirety of 2025 so far, and that this situation continues.”

Over the last seven months Mr MacDonald has contacted Derbyshire County Council, which is responsible for the car parking machines, on several occasions.

In March he was reassured that the authority was aware of the machines and was hoping to get them replaced ‘before the summer’.

But despite Mr MacDonald’s efforts and the council’s promises the ticket machines are still out of order.

He said: "I have been repeatedly assured by Charlotte Hill, the current member with responsibility for parking and her predecessor, that the unavailability of the machines is a temporary measure until they are replaced.

"Given the amount of time this has gone on, I have begun to suspect that the council has no intention of replacing the broken machines.”

Mr MacDonald was further disappointed that the council has made a decision to continue issuing penalty notices at the car parks where it was impossible to pay with cash.

He said: "The council refuses to relax its current policy that residents without smartphones who park in these bays with broken ticket machines will be penalised.

"I have complained to councillors that their policy of issuing penalty notices to motorists parking in these bays without tickets is discriminatory, as it penalises and excludes those without smartphones.”

Earlier this year, Ofcom reported that that 18% of UK households with respondents aged 65+ did not own a smartphone.

Mr MacDonald added: “Thousands of residents who do not have smartphones, many of them vulnerable, have effectively been excluded from these parking facilities all year.

“A significant number of these people will be low income and/or with special needs, and these parking bays are on the edge of the town centre and ideal for persons with limited mobility.”

Mr MacDonald said that issues with the car park machine have discouraged him from visiting Chesterfield town centre.

He added: “My personal choice would be to park on South Street for the maximum allowable period and spend a leisurely few hours in the town centre, which has some unique offerings in terms of market traders and specialist shops.

"But seeing as I don't want to be ticketed and I refuse to be bullied by the county council into downloading an app, I dash in and out as quickly as possible, and the town centre loses out.”

Derbyshire County Council’s cabinet member for potholes, highways and transport Councillor Charlotte Hill said: “We’ve now received new replacement pay machines which have two methods of payment – cash and contactless. Residents can also pay using the pay by phone app.

“We’re currently working with our teams on an installation timetable and we’d like to apologise for the inconvenience caused.”