Thousands of disabled people in Leicestershire may lose blue badge

From today's Leicester Mercury:

Thousands of disabled people in Leicestershire may lose blue badge 

Thousands of people across Leicestershire could lose their blue disabled parking badges next year under tough new assessments. 

Nearly 50,000 people in the city and county have a parking permit, which entitles the holder or their carer to a disabled parking space. 

But from next year – under new Government guidelines – occupational therapists employed by the city and county councils will take over the assessments from GPs. 

The present system is believed to be inconsistent and it is estimated that up to 5,000 of the badge-holders risk losing their permits when they next try to renew them through the councils. 

Tony Donovan, chief executive of Leicestershire Age UK, said: "This is a worrying development. GPs know the health of their patients better than anyone, and this new assessment will just add another layer of bureaucracy and cost. Genuinely disabled people could lose out." 

But assistant city mayor for adult services Mohammed Dawood said: "People who truly need their blue badges have nothing to worry about. 

"We will make sure that the new system is as fair as possible. However, the new, more rigorous assessments will mean some people will lose their badges. It's unfortunate, but these are Government guidelines." 

In the city and county, 22,000 badge-holders automatically qualify because they are either blind, receive the higher rate of the mobility component of the disability living allowance, or they receive a war pensioner's mobility supplement. These people will be unaffected. 

However, about 26,000 are currently assessed by their doctor. Based on trials using occupational therapists elsewhere in the country, it is believed a fifth could lose out.
They have all been judged by their doctor to have a substantial permanent disability, which means they cannot walk, or find it difficult to walk. 

However, if a council assessment does not support this when they try to renew their badge, they risk losing it. 

Dr Angela Lennox, a GP in St Matthew's, Leicester, backed the move, saying: "This is an area which is ripe for reform. 

"It's very difficult to refuse a patient who you've known for many years if they're right on the borderline. I think it's right the assessment is carried out by someone independent." 

However, badge-holder John Carter, 50, of Leicester city centre, said: "GPs are the ones who have in-depth health records on each patient. Surely they're the best people to decide whether someone is well enough to walk?" 

A 65 year old badge holder, of Loughborough, who did not want to be named, said: "There's a lot of abuse, and a lot of people who don't need them, but I'm worried genuine badge-holders could lose out, too." 

City disability rights campaigner Andy Morris, 55, said: "I'm completely against this. I'd trust a doctor over a council official." 

The price of a badge is also due to rise from £2 to £10. The badges last for up to three years and will be redesigned from next year to make them more difficult to forge.