Disabled shoppers will have to pay triple to use mobility scooters under new council plans.

The Shopmobility scheme in Croydon’s Whitgift shopping centre allows disabled users to park and rent a mobility scooter to use around town.

Under the new council plans, seen by the Croydon Guardian, the registration fee for the service will rise 300 per cent from £10 to £30.

Registered users who paid £1.50 for the day will now have to pay £4.30. Non-registered users will see an increase from £3 to £8.50.

Leader of the Croydon Labour group Councillor Tony Newman said: “This is an absolute disgrace, it is a tax on some of the most vulnerable people in the borough, dressed up as something else. It is a Tory council con.

“People are being treated with contempt by the council and residents must come first. This massive increase is outrageous.”

Councillor Phil Thomas, cabinet member for environment and highways, said: “The price rise is to cover the cost of updating the existing equipment that is now outdated.

“The cost of this will of course have to be passed on to the users of the service.”

Shoppers and visitors will see parking prices frozen, yet residents will see a sharp increase to park outside their own homes with the introduction of a £25 administration fee for new permit applicants.

A residents’ permit will now cost from £44 to £48 for a renewal of a household’s first permit; a second car permit will rise from £72 to £80 and to register a third will cost from £175 to £193.

Charity parking permits are also set to rise from £44 to £48.

New residents’ permits now cost more than those of neighbouring boroughs including Kingston, which charges £60 a year, and Sutton which charges £40.

Coun Thomas said: “We have had to increase the cost of residents’ permits, but compared with other local authorities, Croydon offers good value for money.

“We are introducing the £25 administration fee because of all the costs involved in making sure applicants are actually from the borough.”

The new charges will start on Monday, March 29.

If you use the Shopmobility scheme call the newsdesk on 020 8330 9558