Blue Badge Reform Strategy - latest

Comprehensive Blue Badge (Disabled Parking) Reform Strategy (England)

DPTAC welcomes the publication of the comprehensive Blue Badge Reform Strategy.

Neil Betteridge Chair of DPTAC said:

“The Blue Badge continues to make a big improvement to the quality of life of many disabled people but it is abused and there are major differences in the way it is administered and enforced by local authorities.

We are therefore particularly pleased to see the funding being provided by Government to promote independent medical assessments in all local authority areas and to facilitate the development of a national system of data sharing.  This should make the issuing of badges fairer and more consistent.  It will also make a difference to the enforcement of the regulations.”

We look forward to working with Ministers and the Department for Transport in ensuring that the measures in the strategy are implemented as soon as they possibly can be.

But there is more that needs to be done.  For example, many of the current problems of abuse relate to off-street parking areas.  We will therefore be pressing Ministers to bring off-street parking within the formal scope of the Blue Badge Scheme.  We also want to ensure that the good practice that exists in some local authority areas becomes the norm in all local authorities.

Neil Betteridge
Chair of DPTAC

DPTAC - Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee

Note: Neil Betteridge is also the Chief Executive of Arthritis Care