Disabled drivers face prospect of losing their blue badges due to delays in disability assessments, it is claimed
Blue Badge holders face losing parking privileges due to measures designed to combat fraud
Disabled drivers face the prospect of losing their blue parking badges because of delays in new disability assessments, campaigners claim.
Measures to combat Blue Badge fraud, which was estimated to cost the UK £46m a year, were introduced in 2012.
In October 2013 concerns were again raised, however, after it was discovered that they could be worth as much as £1,500 on the black market, in part due to a dearth of free on-street parking.
New measures to reduce fraud include an independent disability assessment; however, campaigners are concerned that this is causing unnecessary delays for many disabled drivers, as the independent assessors struggle to keep up with demand.
The Blue Badge Scheme enables disabled drivers to park in wider, more conveniently located spaces.
Blue Badge holders are advised to renew their badges at least 8 weeks in advance to ensure that their new badge is received on time.
However, delays in the system mean that some Blue Badge holders are not receiving their new badge before their old one expires.
Michael Jones* applied for a renewal to his Blue Badge on November 4.
The 68-year-old has a heart condition and cannot walk without the use of two sticks.
He is reliant upon disabled parking spaces to do things such as visit National Trust sites, without which "by the time we had got from the normal car park to the feature itself I would have done all the walking I could manage."
His blue badge expired on December 10. Eight weeks on, however, he has still not received notification of his disability assessment and is concerned that he may be unable to use his car.
He said: "When it was getting to within about a fortnight of expiry, I went down to the local office that issues them and they said we don't any longer. They said it had been nationalised, restricted and privatised.
"I was told that they didn't know long it would take but that I should be prepared for a long wait.
"She said your badge will certainly expire before your case is assessed."
He added: "If they decide that I'm not sufficiently disabled then fair enough.
"What is wrong is that they take it away from me and then fail to fulfil their responsibilities on time."
Andy Pike, Policy and Campaigns Officer at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) said: "Many disabled people in the UK rely on the blue badge scheme to be able to go shopping, take part in social activities and live an independent life.
"Delays in renewing applications that potentially leave disabled people trapped at home are unacceptable and need to be urgently looked at."
No one at the Department for Transport was available for comment.
The Blue Badge Scheme was introduced in the early 1970s, but concerns were raised in the late 2000s that it was being abused by people who were not disabled.
The government decided to revamp the scheme and crackdown on abuse, printing the badges with anti-fraud holograms and shifting tests for eligibility to an independent assessor.
Councils have since been granted the power to seize badges that are being used fraudulently.
The latest official statistics suggest that as many as a fifth of the 2.62 million badges in circulation could be being misused.
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