Blue Badge Parking Fees

[SPAP]

After overwhelming opposition, Bromley Council has decided to reverse its plans to introduce Blue Badge parking fees in its car parks. Our objections were based on the fact that it must be an unfair proposal, if able-bodied people have the choice to walk or cycle to their destination and pay nothing, while Blue Badge holders have to park (due to their disability) and under the plan, pay.

We're aware that many other councils charge and would urge other members of the public to object. It's the principle of Blue Badge holders paying more then able-bodied people, as well as the cost. We are hoping that our success can be replicated nationally and that ultimately Blue Badge holders will not have to pay anywhere in the country.

That's why I like my town's scheme where a blue badge holder can buy a 12 month pass. They can park in any car park in our town or the neighbouring towns which are part of the same authority. The pass is valid 24/7 which is good value and convenient as no need to use machines but as residents they pay towards the car parks which seems fair.

Universal credit for someone LWRCA and with a disabled child/ carer (without any housing payment): around £2000 per month

Actually, it could be far less than that. At most it would be £1,630.55. The lowest would be £1,172.37.

Single person standard element is £311.68 or £393.45 depending on the claimants age.
The LCWRA element is £416.19
The child element is £287.92 or £333.33
The disabled child/severely disabled child element is £156.58 or £487.58 depending on the level of DLA or visual impairment. Not all disabled children attract the higher rate.

(The same claimant can’t have the LCWRA element and the carer element.)

If blue badges were given out solely for physical disability, there wouldn't be anywhere near as many of them in circulation and councils wouldn't be looking to generate revenue from them. Because they're linked with other benefits and are triggered once a certain threshold has been met, they've been given out to people who don't really need them. If you have anxiety and a pair of legs that work, you don't need a blue badge. But there's plenty have them.

They really ought to be for people who have wheelchairs or other mobility aids. Everyone else can park somewhere else. We've become very entitled as a nation and it's not pretty.

I'm not convinced a BB is for "the most disabled in society" per se.

My ds is a wheelchair user but is also an elite athlete!

He could probably wheel himself much further than I would walk - the guy swims 10-12k 5 times a week 😂

He does need a BB. And I often love the fact I can park for free when he's with me.

But it isn't prohibitive for us.

Having said that I do support what you're doing as I do think it's actually important to target support that supports those at the bottom (iyswim?) rather than ignore them in preference of citing those who don't need the support. Does that make sense?

This isn’t meant to be a dig, because I genuinely don’t know. But aren’t many of those entitled to a badge also entitled to some form of benefit in the form of PIP, and isn’t that intended in part to ‘compensate’ for the additional costs of disabilities / illnesses? In which case, receiving non means-tested funds to cover the additional costs while at the same time asking for the costs to be waived does seem a little unreasonable. But, as I say, I don’t know the ins and outs of the benefits system.

My late husband did have a blue badge for few years, following a botched NHS operation (for which they were found to be negligent) but as we didn’t need the money we didn’t investigate the benefits system. We did generally buy a ticket even when using the badge, as it wasn’t always obvious if charges applied or not. So safer to pay the few quid and be done with it. But I also realise everyone’s circumstances are different, and agree a common approach ah, be it to charge or not to charge, would make things simpler.

For many, PIP/DLA doesn’t begin to cover all disability related costs.

Scope’s latest disability price tag research says on average disabled households need an additional £1,010 per month to have the same standard of living as non-disabled households. This is in addition to disability benefits such as PIP or DLA. Scope say if the figure is adjusted for inflation that would be £1,067 per month.

And not all with a blue badge with be in receipt of benefits.

I wish our council would do the same here. We used to have free parking for BB holders but now they have put in a charge. This is despite the town this was decided in having free or very reduced parking for all drivers!
It penalises people who are already struggling with their mobility for various reasons, and who will likely be less able to earn well, if at all. Like you say @SPAP most able bodied people have an option not to have to pay for parking by walking to and from town, or even parking further away from the shops to use the cheaper car parks.

This idea that all non BB holders can choose to walk instead, therefore parking charges are optional, is a bit of a fantasy.

Lots of disabled people aren't quite restricted in their mobility though for a BB. I don't think I'd get one for my 5yo, even though due to her medical conditions there's no way she could walk to town (heck, I wouldn't go further than the shop at the end of our road without our pushchair).

My parents - use a stick and can't walk more than about 10m to get somewhat (especially if walking when they get there!) but wouldn't again satisfy the criteria for a BB.

The world isn't divided into BB holders and fit, healthy, can walk around all day people!

Even the OP says she would only 'probably' get a BB, but equally couldn't walk into town.

Then there are non disability reasons - people with multiple young children, the elderly who are perfectly mobile, but not with a 4 mile round trip walking factored in. Those in rural areas with no transport.

Our analysis shows:
• On average, disabled households need an additional £1,010 a month to have the same standard of living as non-disabled households.
• On average, the extra cost of disability is equivalent to 67% of household income after housing costs.

www.scope.org.uk/campaigns/disability-price-tag

Where are you based? We were helped for our opposition by local councillors, MPs and the local and national press. The Sun covered our successful outcome. Both the local Conservative and Labour MPs supported our case and wrote to the Conservative Council asking them to reconsider. You can look the Bromley Blue Badge reversal of plans to introduce parking fees online.

I am hoping to work with one of the MPs who supported us, to introduce a ban on Blue Badge parking fees nationwide.

Neither are shortsighted attitudes such as the one displayed in your post. BB are not given out willy nilly. They need to be applied for, and the criteria met, that can come about through PIP for example, or applied for independent of receiving any disability benefit. Thank goodness you have no influence on who does, or does not get a BB.

Agree with you OP. Am in process of reapplying for DS's BB (will be his 4th I think). The hours spent on the application as he has no capacity to apply himself... argh! Despite his condition being for life and will not improve... Of course those who are not disabled have more choices... that applies with everything in life. Totally agree with you OP.

Isn’t exactly the point of claiming PIP/DLA the extra costs of your disability?

And if genuinely meeting the criteria for a blue badge then highly likely you’d meet the criteria for even low rate dla/pip.

As some posters have explained, the extra costs associated with a person's disability, could easily outstrip the monetary help that they receive.

You’re missing the point quite spectacularly! This is not about income, but about fairness. Is it fair that someone who has no alternative way of getting to, say, the train station to enable them to catch a train to work also has to pay for that privilege? My SIL is able to walk the 1/2 mile to the train station so can leave his car at home in order to avoid car parking charges. If he were a wheelchair user, he would have to drive and pay parking at £3 a day. He would have no choice. That is completely unfair. We don't set parking charges based on people’s ability to pay, fees aren’t subjected to a financial assessment.

I have a blue badge and I object to being referred to as the “most disabled in society”. I do have a disability but I am a very capable person that offers a great deal to my employer and society. Not everyone with a blue badge is severely disabled.

I'd really like a petition to make a BB free over the free parking. £10 and having to apply every 3 years when you have a lifelong disability is capitalising on necessity.

Ours give an additional hour free to blue badge holders. Seems fair as everything takes longer.

My DP has a BB but doesn't (yet, he will do before long, degenerative condition) qualify for PIP or any other disablility related benefit. He can still use public transport but it means when he has to travel to central London to the one hospital in the UK that deals with his condition, he can park near an outer London station on a direct tube route to this hospital without having to worry about finding money or stress of parking when he needs to focus on his appointments. Which are regularly. Yes he could pay but it would be even nicer if he didn't have the need for these hosptial visits at all. Anyone who says disability benefits cover the extra costs of disability have obviously not seen the cost of mobility equipment etc and can quite frankly do one complaining about BB holders.

I have a bb and am happy to pay in car parks, everyone else is doing so and I need the blue badge for the extra space and proximity to shops that the parking spaces give me.

I do use it to park on single and double yellows (if safe to do so) again for distance reasons. I can't walk very far but getting my wheelchair out to go into, for example, my favourite café is a pain in the neck, so I get whoever is driving me to park right outside. I can't walk very walk the 10-20 meters into the cafe (and hope they can seat me right away, though they do know me and bring me a chair if there's going to be a wait!).

So my options are park and pay or get a bus / taxi so no different to your daughter really .

If you wouldn’t qualify for a blue badge, I assume you don’t need a wheelchair accessible taxi? These are more limited, especially in some parts of the country and especially with larger wheelchairs. It really isn’t ‘no different’.

Nor are you limited to buses who don’t already have a wheelchair user (or users if you are lucky enough to live somewhere where buses have more than one wheelchair space) onboard. Neither are you ever prevented from boarding the bus when inconsistent non-wheelchair/non-buggy being used as a wheelchair users refuse to vacate the wheelchair space. And you are not prevented from travelling on buses when some drivers refuse to lower the ramp. And for some disabled individuals, public transport and being around others on public transport isn’t accessible/appropriate.

Yes, it is. All threads like this do is make people hate disabled people more. It's depressing.

Why can't both be free? If given a choice I would opt for the free parking any day, over a £10 admin charge for a BB, every 3 years!

@BrightYellowTrain so perhaps BBs should just be issued to those in wheelchairs or who cannot get about without mobility aids . That sounds entirely reasonable .

Well yes, disabled people are allowed to not be poor.

The point of all forms of disability benefits is that disabled people are not burdened with the additional costs of being disabled.

Able bodied people can choose to park further away and walk, disabled people can’t.