Blue Badge parking extended to people with ‘hidden disabilities’ including autism and mental health problems
PEOPLE suffering with less visible illnesses will soon become eligible for the 'Blue Badge' parking permits thanks to a major overhaul of the system.
Those with 'hidden disabilities' - including autism and other mental health conditions - will be able to park in the same places that those with physical disabilities can.
From next year, the existing parking permit scheme will be expanded to include those who cannot make a journey without "a risk of serious harm to their health or safety".
It will also include those who a journey is likely to cause "very considerable psychological distress".
The existing rules for the badge scheme in England do not specifically exclude those with non-physical disabilities.
As it stands, they "are open to interpretation" by local authorities.
The new scheme offers greater clarity on who is included.
It follows an eight-week consultation which had more than 6,000 responses.
Transport Minister Jesse Norman said: ";Blue badges are a lifeline for disabled people, giving them the freedom and confidence to get to work and visit friends independently.
"The changes we have announced today will ensure that this scheme is extended equally to people with hidden disabilities so that they can enjoy the freedoms that many of us take for granted."
The badge scheme, launched in 1970, is currently used by around 2.4 million disabled people in England.
It allows them to park free of charge in pay and displays bays and for up to three hours on yellow lines.
In London, it also makes badge-users exempt from the Congestion Charge.
Jane Harris, director of external affairs at the National Autistic Society, said the change would "make a massive difference to the lives of many of the 600,000 autistic people in England, and their families".
She added: "Just leaving the house is a challenge for many autistic people, involving detailed preparation - and sometimes overwhelming anxiety about plans going wrong.
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