North West Leicestershire District Council has reversed a controversial car park payment rule amid pressure from residents and opponents. The new parking spot at Money Hill, in Ashby, opened last month but promptly came under fire amid claims it excluded some people. 

Critics feared North West Leicestershire District Council's (NWLDC) pay-by-phone only rule for the site would exclude those who might not use smartphones. One local resident even branded it "indirect discrimination", saying their mother, who is in her 80s, would not be able to use it as a result. 

The council told LeicestershireLive just this week that it had not had "any reports of anyone who has been unable to pay for their parking at Money Hill since it opened", and that the pay-by-phone only approach "removes the cost of repairing and maintaining parking machines". However, just days later, the authority has U-turned and said it will be installing a ticket machine there to allow for card payments. 

Deputy leader and lead member for communities Michael Wyatt said the U-turn was in response to "customer feedback". He said: "In the first few weeks since opening the Money Hill Car Park, we've listened carefully to feedback from our customers. 

"While many have found the Pay-by-Phone system easy and efficient, we understand that offering more choice can make the experience even better for everyone. We will shortly be installing a card payment machine at Money Hill. 

"This reflects our commitment to continually improve our services and make parking as accessible and user-friendly as possible. We remain confident in the value and convenience of digital payments, which are already used by many of our car park customers, and are pleased to complement that with an additional option that gives our customers even more flexibility." 

Earlier this week, opposition councillors had called on the authority to "think again" over what they branded an "oversight" when it came to payment methods. The Labour group said they wanted "allowing at least card and contactless payments" to be allowed there, adding it was a "basic matter of accessibility and inclusion". 

The new ticket machine is expected to be installed in the next six to eight weeks, NWLDC said. Later this year, residents can also expect to see a "solar hub" set up in the car park, providing electric vehicle charging stations. 

The 150-space car park comes as part of the wider Money Hill development with the site earmarked for around 2,000 homes. Around 16 hectares of land will also be used as employment space.