Bradford Council accused of 'lacking compassion' over fine

David Metcalfe said he could not find anywhere to park at Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) after his dad Kevin was admitted there with horrific injuries - including a broken spine - after a fall last month.

David left his car in a bay on nearby Duckworth Lane - but he overstayed the two-hour limit and received a £25 Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) from the Council.

He asked the authority to scrap the PCN in light of the circumstances - but the Council has declined to do so.

Kevin sadly died aged 81 on Sunday.

'Where's the compassion?'

David, 45, of Dene Crescent, Bradford, told the Telegraph & Argus: "I couldn't find any parking spots at the hospital that day.

"I had no option but to park where I did - I was so concerned about my father.

"After I'd parked my car, I ran to the hospital and stayed with him until later on - he was in a bad way.

"I had to stay there, it was a critical thing - he was my primary concern."

David has slammed Bradford Council for 'lacking compassion' (Image: Mike Simmonds/Newsquest)

David said he eventually had to leave the hospital as staff needed to carry out scans on Kevin.

When he got back to his car, he discovered he had received a PCN from Bradford Council as he had exceeded the bay's time limit.

After this happened on December 12, David wrote to the Council to explain his situation.

A letter from the Council dated January 3 said: "Thank you for writing to us and explaining that your father was in hospital, and it was an end-of-life situation. We are extremely sorry to hear that you are going through such a distressing time.

"There is a sign where you parked which explains that, although parking is free in that bay, you can only park for a certain length of time. You were given a PCN for parking longer than this. This rule applies to all users of this bay.

"We have considered what you say but you have not provided enough evidence for us to cancel your PCN."

The letter added: "We will reconsider your case if you send us a letter from your doctor or hospital."

David said he subsequently sent the Council a 'confirmation of attendance' slip, signed by a senior sister at BRI, which said he was at A&E between 6am and noon on December 12.

This added there was "no capacity" in the BRI car park.

But in a letter dated January 18, the Council said it had decided not to cancel the PCN.

The letter said: "Thank you for writing to us and sending us your supporting evidence.

"We have considered what you say but we have decided not to cancel your PCN.

"The supporting evidence was for the A&E department. Because you were visiting your father at the hospital, you were not the person admitted, so we do not find this to be enough grounds for cancelling the PCN."

Staff at Bradford Royal Infirmary provided David with this information which stated there was 'no capacity' at the hospital car park on the day in question (Image: Submitted)

David said: "I've paid the fine but it's not about the money, it's about the principle of the whole matter.

"I fully accept I stayed over the limit but what was I supposed to do?

"I couldn't find any parking spaces at the hospital and I needed to stay with my father as it was touch and go with him.

"Where's the compassion?"

Bradford Council responds

A Council spokesperson said: "We are sorry to hear that Mr Metcalfe's father has passed away and send our condolences to him and his family."

They said they sent him a letter dated January 3 and "outlined options including additional information required".

They added: "We received evidence from Mr Metcalfe on January 17, but this did not give the full circumstances, so we did not have a full overview of what had happened.

"Because of this, we did not cancel the PCN."

Mr Metcalfe said he felt he had provided sufficient information to the Council, however.