A DISGRUNTLED resident says a council is ‘discriminating’ against older people with their special parking rates.

It comes after Colchester Council decided to change special offers so they can only be accessed by phone or internet from February 1 via MiPermit.

Colin Wiggett has been using the Britannia car park, in Britannia Way, for years.

The 67-year-old believes this makes things unnecessarily difficult for the older generation.

Braintree and Witham Times: The Britannia car park's ticket machineThe Britannia car park's ticket machine

He said: “You cannot get the special offers on the telephone numbers provided or by texting. I could only access the special rate, including £1 parking on a Sunday, if I had an app.

“Anyone who has an older phone like myself or my wife can only call or text, so there’s no way we can obtain the offers during the day.

“Even the lady from MiPermit didn’t know you couldn’t do it without an app. They’re saying they are trying to reduce contact on the ticket machine buttons but that’s a load of rubbish as lots of people still have to use the buttons.

“The council is discriminating against all older people with old phones.

“They moan the town centre is dying and there’s not enough people using the shops, while the shops are complaining they’re not getting the footfall.

“Everyone doesn’t bother with the town cente anymore and they go to Tollgate where it’s all free parking.”

The council, however, has disputed the concerns, claiming MiPermit makes parking even more accessible.

Braintree and Witham Times: The Britannia car parkThe Britannia car park

A spokesman for Colchester Council said: “To make it as inclusive as possible, MiPermit is available via a range of options including phone, SMS and online, as well as the smartphone app.

“The North Essex Parking Partnership has also produced a step-by-step audio-visual guide to the MiPermit app and has a dedicated webpage providing information about the benefits of it.

“The decision to move parking offers to MiPermit has been made as part of the council’s Positive Parking Strategy, which supports the council’s Climate Emergency Declaration which aim to tackle climate change and promote sustainable travel.

"The many customer benefits to using MiPermit is the reason the system is now the most popular method of car park payments in Colchester.”