Applications for disabled parking badges are being turned down without explanation. Photograph: Jeff Blackler/ Rex Features
Have you encountered a problem getting a disabled parking badge? It seems people who genuinely need the badges are being turned down by local councils following pressure from the Department of Transport to review each application more carefully.
One woman who works for a charity that cares for elderly people told me that her local authority is now taking away the disabled badge she uses on behalf of her clients.
She says:
We often have to park on yellow lines in emergencies when we are helping out the ambulance services but now we won't be able to and we'll also have to pay for parking, which we can't afford to do.
Another elderly woman said she had had her application rejected despite suffering from congestive heart failure, which means that she cannot walk further than 50 yards at a time.
It could be that councils are reacting to fears of fraud. A recent report by MPs suggested thousands of people are exaggerating their disabilities in order to get a disabled parking badge. According to a story in the Times, doctors are responsible for wrongly approving these badges, which entitle the users to a parking concession worth up to £5,000 a year.
But it seems this could be causing problems for genuine applicants. Have you, or has anyone you know, had a disabled badge revoked or an application turned down without explanation? Or do you know of anyone who has exaggerated their own disability to get a blue badge?
