"Blue badge permit 'shocking disparity' revealed" - BBC report

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

People with non-visible disabilities such as autism or Parkinson's disease face a "shocking disparity" when applying for a blue badge parking permit, a BBC investigation has found.

Scores of councils have lower approval rates for non-visible disabilities applications compared to those for physical impairments.
Non-visible disability applications began in England in August 2019.

The Department for Transport (DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)) said it would review their impact.

[Bmblbzzz]

I would have thought Parkinson's was visible? Maybe not under all circumstances.

[Ralph Ayres]

I didn't find it a particularly well researched or written article and it did rather overuse the "shocking disparity" quote. It could equally have said that some boroughs are too keen to give out the permits to people who don't really need them or rightly or wrongly don't qualify. The underlying problem is possibly a lack of clarity about the purpose of the badges. Is it to allow holders to park closer, or to guarantee a place, or to make parking more affordable, or to make sure there is enough space around the car to get in and out, or any combination of these and other reasons? The article claims it's only the first, but people quoted mentioned other reasons.

[grahame]

I thought hard whether or not to post this - but "other ways to travel" does include by car, and the car is especially useful at times to those who are less able to use public transport.

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

Disabled drivers are being warned that their blue badges may not be accepted in popular European holiday destinations this summer due to Brexit. Ministers are negotiating the status of the badges - which were recognised when the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) was in the EU^» (European Union - about) - with 11 nations.

France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy are among those "undecided" on recognising the discs, which help people park closer to a destination.

The AA said keeping blue badge users in "limbo" was "simply unacceptable".

Bulgaria, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Romania and Slovenia are also undecided on the issue, but all other EU nations accept UK badges. The government website tells badge-holders to check with the embassy of their destination country for the latest guidance. But the AA said most embassies were unable to provide them with any assurances or advice.