DISABLED people wanting to attend public inquiries in York city centre were wrongly told they could park nearby all day.

City of York Council failed to understand its own parking restrictions, in a letter sent out to the chairman of Osbaldwick Parish Council, Bill Hall, and in an information leaflet available at the Guildhall.

Coun Hall, who has a Blue Badge and who wants to attend the inquiry at the Guildhall this summer into proposals for a 540-home model village near Osbaldwick, was told he could park all day in parking bays in nearby Lendal.

The same information is contained in an information sheet given out to people attending the current inquiry into the University of York's campus expansion proposals.

The leaflet states: "There is no parking available at the Guildhall. The nearest car park is Marygate. Disabled parking is available nearby. Blue Badge holders can park in on-street pay and display bays for as long as they wish. "There is an on-street pay and display bay in Lendal."

But the council admitted today that badge holders can only park for a maximum of three hours in Lendal during the day -because the parking bays there only swing into operation during the evening.

A spokesman said that before 6pm, the bays reverted to double yellow line restrictions, which did not allow badge holders to park for more than three hours.

Coun Hall said: "Three hours would not be much good to me. I don't want to be having to leave the inquiry to move my car when my time is up."

He said he wanted to attend all parts of the inquiry dealing with the Joseph Rowntreet Foundations proposals for the model village of Derwenthorpe.

"I'm amazed that the council doesn't know its own parking restrictions," he said. "It beggars belief, doesn't it?"

A council spokeswoman said today: "The letter to Mr Hall was written in good faith, but we can only apologise for the confusion it caused.

"Blue Badge holders are able to park in pay and display bays free of charge, but unfortunately the bays on Lendal are only operational between 6pm and 8am, which would be impractical for anyone wanting to visit the public inquiry."

She said the closest all-day parking for disabled drivers or passengers wanting to attend the inquiry would be Esplanade car park.

She said the Guildhall had been chosen as the most suitable venue for the inquiry after several alternatives had been investigated.

Updated: 09:15 Tuesday, May 09, 2006