An agoraphobic university worker who was only expected to be on campus four days a year claimed she was discriminated against when she was denied a parking space.
Amanda Barrow tried to book a space at Leeds Beckett University in 2024 – almost four years after her parking permit expired – but her request was rejected because the car park was already full.
Despite the university granting her a space after she explained it was because of her disability, she continued to complain that it was “not unreasonable for her to have an on-site parking space for occasional use.”
Ms Barrow had been using ‘ad hoc parking arrangements’ since 2020 and was reminded that she was eligible to apply for an annual pass in April 2023 – but decided not to.
She argued that she needed the parking space because of her agoraphobia, an anxiety disorder that causes sufferers to fear leaving environments they consider safe.
The university employs more than 2,500 employees and issues a permit for ‘occupational health care’ specifically for these types of conditions.
Ms Barrow admitted she had never tried to renew the pass and when the university suggested she buy a blue badge, she said she “didn’t need it for anything else”.
Leeds Beckett had tried to make adjustments for her, including letting her book twice as far in advance as other staff.
But after quitting her job, she claimed at an employment tribunal in Sheffield that she had been the victim of indirect discrimination on the grounds of disability and that the university had failed to make reasonable adjustments.
Amanda Barrow accused Leeds Beckett University of disability discrimination after her parking privileges were revoked
Ms Barrow started working at Leeds Polytechnic – now Leeds Beckett University – in 1984, where she worked as a learning technologist.
Since 2013, Ms Barrow had been working ‘largely from home’ and had received an annual call from occupational medicine to check whether she still needed the parking space.
Parking spaces cost 1 percent of an employee’s annual salary, while blue badge holders can park there for free.
However, following the Covid pandemic in 2020, employees in her role were only expected to go to campus four or five times a year.
In March 2020, the “last annual on-campus parking permit expired” and she never applied to renew it, according to a court ruling.
It was only more than three years later, in 2023, that she then applied for a parking space, which she did with a week’s notice in accordance with an ad hoc arrangement to secure parking for staff.
That request was granted – but a year later she had to attend a seminar at the university. This time her parking request was rejected because the parking lot was already fully booked.
Mrs Barrow replied that it was because of her disability and that a one-off parking space had been arranged for her.
After being offered the space, Mrs Barrow complained: ‘When I worked on site I had a permanent car park organized by OH [occupational health] 36 years without a break.
‘Now that I work from home, I occasionally need a parking space. However, you made it clear in your email that this is not the case.
‘It concerns me somewhat that people without disabilities are given priority over those who do.
‘I don’t need a blue badge for anything else and as I said, I’ve been able to park on site without a break for 36 years until Covid.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable for me to be able to park on site for a single event, whereas I used to take up a full-time spot.”
A manager promised to investigate her situation, all the while assuring her that she could reserve a parking space two weeks in advance – a week more than most people – so she should always be able to get a parking space.
However, Ms Barrow went on sick leave in May 2024 and subsequently resigned.
At the tribunal, her claims were dismissed and she was ordered to pay back £20,000 in costs.
Employment Judge Andrew James said: ‘[Ms Barrow] retain the option to apply for an annual pass; She was reminded of this in April 2023. She declined to submit an application. If she had done so, the issues that gave rise to these allegations may never have arisen.
‘It was a reasonable requirement to require claimants with disabilities to submit an annual application given the demand for parking spaces.
‘After March 2020 [Ms Barrow] opted to rely on ad hoc parking arrangements, with no problems encountered until April 2024.
‘[Ms Barrow] could alternatively apply for an annual pass, something she was reminded of in April 2023, but decided not to do so, presumably because the ad hoc arrangement worked fine for her.
‘Allow [Ms Barrow] applying two weeks in advance made it even more likely that ad hoc arrangements would remain sufficient in the future.”
