Disabled parking: York blue badge ban plan a 'stain' on city

Permanently banning blue badge parking in York city centre will be a "stain" on its reputation, according to a human rights expert.

City of York Council is expected remove the footstreets exemption offered to disabled badge holders which allows them to park in pedestrianised areas.

Disability advocacy groups said they are being shut out of the city centre.

The council said the move will allow for the implementation of counter-terrorism measures.

Until 2020, the council allowed blue badge holders to access and park on pedestrianised areas.

This access was removed during the pandemic to allow visitors to socially distance on the historic city's narrow streets.

Paul Gready, director of the Centre for Applied Human Rights at the University of York, said the permanent move, expected to be finalised at a meeting on Thursday, was a "defining" moment for York.

"If the council pushes through a permanent extension to footstreets in the city centre, and knowingly discriminates against an already marginalised group, it will be a stain on this administration and the city."

He asked the council for extra time to find a solution for all of York's residents, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Prof Gready's comments came as 16 York advocacy groups wrote an open letter pleading for support in a last-ditch attempt to sway councillors, accusing the authority of "trying to exclude disabled people from the city centre."

City of York Council said it hoped the move would reduce the danger of a "hostile vehicle" attack, as advised by the security services.

A spokesperson said the police had advised that only allow emergency vehicles should be allowed into the pedestrianised areas.

"We know this will have a significant impact on a group of blue badge holders, and for the last two years we have been actively engaging with disabled residents and groups to find a range of alternative measures," they said.

Blue badge parking will return to Castlegate if the plans are approved, with improved pavements and additional parking bays being looked at.

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