Blue Badges to Become Free

Jan 3 2012

Those of us who are fortunate enough to be healthy do not always keep in mind that, while they pay the same car loan instalments as us, disabled drivers have many more challenges to overcome than ordinary drivers.  One of these is finding a parking spot close enough to their destination – which has not already been taken by another careless motorist.

At least we have some good news for disabled drivers in Wales: they will in future get their blue parking badges without paying a penny.  This has been made possible by a simple decision of the Welsh Assembly: they scrapped the law that made it compulsory to place expensive ads warning about road works in local papers.

By no longer having to run these ads, authorities will reportedly save more than £1 million.  This money will be used to finance disabled badges for drivers with serious mobility problems.  The current cost of a disabled badge is £2 and there are 230,000 motorists holding one.

The decision comes as new research by the Local Government Association (LGA) shows that the cost of statutory notices in local newspapers in England and Wales will amount to nearly £200 million over the next five years.

The LGA is in favour of a similar law in England, but according to the Department for Communities and Local Government this is unlikely to happen in the near future.

The important question here is, of course, how many people really study notices about impending road works in their local newspaper?

Author - Louise Hutchinson

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