News & Features
Disparity in Successful Blue Badge Applications Revealed
Posted in General News on Monday, January 18th, 2021
According to an investigation conducted by the BBC those who apply for a Blue Badge on the grounds of having a non-visible disability have far lower success rates than those who apply on the grounds of having a visible physical disability. Of the 109 councils that provided full responses to the BBC’s Freedom of Information (FOI) request 80% approved more people with visible physical disabilities than those with non-visible disabilities. In the case of 10 of these councils, the disparity equated to as much as 50 percentage points.
The councils with the largest disparity between approval rates assured the BBC that they had followed government guidance and assisted applicants in providing supporting medical evidence. Around 2.3million disabled people in England have a Blue Badge according to the latest government data. The BBC’s investigation also found that 28,000 Blue Badges were issued to people with non-visible disabilities in the first 12 months of the assessment criteria being changed. Councillor David Renard, Transport Spokesperson for the Local Government Association, which represents councils' interests, said: “local authorities wanted to make sure services and communities were as accessible as possible.” DMUK is well aware that the Blue Badge scheme is a crucial lifeline for many people with non-visible disabilities and we stress the need for every council to make sure that their assessment processes are consistently inline with the government guidelines.
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Patrick Dulson
Wednesday, January, 20th, 2021
This extension to the Blue Badge scheme was ill thought out from it's conception through to it's implementation. Very few disabled persons would would dispute the right of holding a Blue Badge to others who have mobility issues but little thought was given to the basics of extending this scheme such as "How many more people will be included in the scheme?" "How many existing Disabled Parking spaces are available?" "What is the current ratio of Disabled Parking spaces to Blue Badges issued?" and "What plans are in place to increase the ratio of available parking spaces to accommodate the existing required imbalance of parking spaces and extra allowance for the further spaces that will be required to accommodate the expansion of the scheme. As usual with our Government they envisage the scheme but have no concept of the detailed requirements of the implementation problems. Don't pit disabled persons against each other in a race to claim decreasing parking spaces, increase spaces first them go for implementation.
Mary Wells-Walker
Wednesday, January, 20th, 2021
It is true that non visible disabilities are frequently queried. I remember my late husband being told "Can't see much wrong with you." He lifted his trouser leg and was wearing Calipers. It was the onset of Motor Neurone Disease from which he died at the age of 46. Be careful before you judge.
David B Sears
Thursday, January, 21st, 2021
I have had a biue badge since being diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis, from the age of 49 and have never had any application rescinded by Bucks County Council. My disability at first was controlled by Sulfazalazine. Since March of this year owing to damage caused by the medication to my right kidney it was recommended I come off this particular medication, no alternative was found by the Rheumatologist. Found my own herbal remedy, Glucosamine Sulphate, plus Turmeric with Black Pepper this has helped to alleviate the pains substantially, however, I now have a slight stoop in my stature being spinal rheumatoid arthritis.
Kevin Hallsworth
Thursday, January, 21st, 2021
Although I genuinely do not wish to discriminate, I have to say that is it was already very difficult to find disabled parking, and now it is far worse. I have the deepest sympathy for people with non mobility disabilities, but I don't believe in most cases they can be compared with people that can hardly walk at all. It is very frustrating to be forced into parking a long distance from where you need to be because spaces are taken up by people able to walk into a shopping precinct and spend 20 minutes there! That is not a rare occurrence, it is a regular one. Another serious factor that no one seems to have considered is that it is now really easy for able-bodied people to abuse badges just because they don't want to walk too far!
Kevin Hallsworth
Thursday, January, 21st, 2021
I have no wish to discriminate against anyone, but having to park a long way from where you need to be only to watch someone walking into a shopping precinct from a disabled bay is very frustrating. With the greatest of respect disabled bays are surely for those with limited ability to walk? It is now far easier for able-bodied people to abuse the Blue Badge system as well, knowing full well they can walk away not having to pretend to limp. I genuinely feel that my blue badge's of little use to me now.