Pray and display: Council bans 'discriminatory' free Church car park

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The Mayflower House council car park in Plymouth which has scrapped its free Sunday morning service


Penny-pinching council chiefs have been slammed for scrapping free Sunday morning parking for church-goers - because it discriminates against other religions.
Every week around 1,000 people take advantage of free car parking in Plymouth city centre to use one of two main Christian churches.
The council has allowed free parking until noon since parking charges on Sundays were first introduced in 1998 - so congregations can park for free and walk to church.
But the authority was now scrapped the exception and imposed a 70p per hour charge on Sunday mornings.
Church goer Mary Hooker wrote a letter of protest to be told worshippers couldn't have an exemption because it might 'discriminate' against Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist residents.
Most church-goers need to use the car-parks for at least two hours - costing £1.40.
The new fees affect up to 1,000 Christian worshippers every Sunday and will rake in an estimated £36,000 (assuming half drive) from them alone per year.
St Andrew's regular Mary, 66, slammed the charge as a 'tax on prayer'.
She stormed: "I have been worshipping here for fifty years - and neither I nor my parents have ever paid to park.
"I think it is disgusting. Loose change which people sued to put in the collection plate is now being fed into pay and display machines.
"It is very unforgiving. It seems the so-called politically correct reasons for this new charge are just a cover for the council to make even more money.
"They have effectively introduced a tax on going to church, and at a time when we are desperately trying to increase dwindling congregations I fear this is only going to put people off."
Mary wrote to Plymouth City Council to complain when the charge was introduced on November 3 after a review by the overview and scrutiny panel.
She asked for the exemption until noon to remain.
Parking manager Sarah Joy replied: "The basis of your representation was rejected on the grounds that the current free parking on a Sunday morning is discriminatory to other faiths and religious praying days. Dispensation is not given to other religions."
Sunday parking charges were first introduced to Plymouth in 1998, but an exemption was granted as a way of acknowledging the contribution of the Church to city life.
Worshippers who regularly attend the city centre Anglican St Andrew's Church and Plymouth Methodist Central Hall have always relied on the Guildhall and Mayflower House Court car park's free service.
But the service was also used by Sunday shoppers and other people - a loophole which is thought to have annoyed the council.
Reverend Nick McKinnel (CRT), rector of St Andrew's Church, said: "For them now to use other faiths as a way of withdrawing this concession seems pretty shabby.
"We were always granted free parking until noon, after the morning service finished.
"The reasoning behind this new charge betrays a total lack of understanding of the multi-faith agenda and serves only to divide communities.
"It does seem extraordinary to invoke other faiths as a reason to charge those who go to church.
"Everyone wants this to be a good city for those of all faiths and none.
"But the sort of spurious reasoning given on behalf of the city council betrays a total lack of understanding of the multi-faith agenda.
"Religious discrimination laws only apply in an employment context, and not to the provision of a service like a car park.
"If the council is imposing new charges because it wants more money then why not admit that?"
Reverend Paul Smith, from Plymouth Methodist Church Hall, said: "I have written to the local authority about this and I have had a reply.
"They excuse themselves on the PC ticket, saying they don't excuse Muslims on Fridays so excusing Christians on Sundays is unfair."
In his letter to Chris Sane, the council's transportation infrastructure and engineering manager, Rev Smith wrote: "I wish to express the deep concern of the congregation.. at the charge for parking on Sundays when hitherto no charges have been made.
"As you will appreciate this mitigates against those who wish to worship in city centre churches. The imposition of charges will simply impose another obstacle which makes their attendance at worship more difficult.
"Could I ask you to reconsider and bear in mind the very significant impact which they will have on churches in the heart of the city."
The 2001 census shows that the combined total of Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, Hindus and Buddhists amounted to 1.3 per cent of city residents - while 73.5 per cent of the 240,000 population described themselves as Christian.
There is one Mosque in the city which has for the last 16 years been run from a terraced house and serves all of the 883-strong Muslim population.
Plymouth also has one Buddhist centre, serving 470 people, and one Synagogue for the 182 practising Jews in the community.
There are 150 christian churches in the city - including Anglican and Methodist.
Sunday morning charges are part of a sweeping change to Plymouth's parking costs the council claim is part of an effort to 'maintain the balance' between the cost of short-stay parking and bus travel.
Hourly rates for parking from Monday to Saturday have risen and evening charges for on-street parking in the city centre has been introduced - giving the authority an annual cash boost of £782,000 per year.
Sunday charges have also been brought into line with the rest of the week as well as being introduced in the mornings for the first time - a move set to net the council an extra £365,000 a year.
The city council already has a reputation for overzealous parking fines and last year the Barbican area was listed as one of the country's top ten ticket hotspots - generating more than £43,000.
This was on top of the average £3 million a year that the council collects from parking tickets every year.
Last Christmas council bosses were branded scrooges when they started charging people to use car parks during late night shopping hours for the first time.
People protesting the Sunday morning charges, which start at 8am, have been told they can apply to the High Court if they wish to challenge the validity of the council's actions.