Campaign by Highland woman to see Blue Badge parking charges in Scotland abolished gains momentum
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A campaign by an Inverness woman to see Blue Badge parking charges in Scotland abolished is gathering steam.
An online petition by Danielle Morall calling for the abolition of the £20 charge has so far been signed by almost 4000 people.
She believes the fee for disabled people is unfair.
The 40-year-old’s brother Bradley (35) has a lifelong disability and must renew his parking Blue Badge every three years, paying each time.
“Enough is enough,” she said.
“People do not pay for prescriptions, they get a free ‘baby box’ and people under 22 will get free travel. All of these things cost a lot of money.
“Yet some of the least well-off people in society are paying to simply go about their everyday life. Disability is not a choice. People do not pay for parent and child spaces – so why would they have to pay for a Blue Badge that allows them to be able to park close to a shop?
“People with disabilities have to apply for a pass, reapply every three years, and they have to pay a fee every time they do it.
“It really is not fair at all. In fact, not only is it very unfair, it is also unethical.”
The Blue Badge scheme costs just £10 for users in England and is free for people in Wales.
“A lot of people are not even aware that these charges are applied,” Ms Morall said.
“It is no privilege to be disabled, or to have mobility issues, and I do not believe this charge is reasonable or justified.
“Holding a Blue Badge should not necessarily mean you can park for free.
“The main purpose of a Blue Badge is to be able to park closer to your destination, have the use of a larger parking space for wheelchair accessibility, or to have no time limit on your parking.
“I will take this petition to Highland Council, and we will make the change. I am not making a complaint about the Highland Council, I am asking for a change in this unethical system.
“I do not believe that a person who has lifelong disabilities or mobility issues should have to continually reapply every three years.”
Regional MSP and Inverness Central Highland councillor Emma Roddick, who suffers from a disability, said people did not realise the true cost of dealing with a disability, and charges like that for the Blue Badge should be reconsidered.
“If disability benefits in the UK actually matched the cost of being disabled in the UK, I would have more sympathy with administrative costs such as the one for a Blue Badge,” she said.
“While they aren’t, I commend anyone who is raising awareness of the issue – I completely agree that most people just don’t realise how high the financial cost of being disabled is.”
A Highland Council spokeswoman said: “The Highland Council has a petitions procedure, details of which and how to petition the council are on our website at www.highland.gov.uk”
To sign the petition, visit www.change.org/p/highlandcouncil-abolish-the-blue-badge-charge
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