camden-news-badge

Publications by New Journal Enterprises

Home

Archive

Competition

Camden New Journal - by PAUL KEILTHY
Published: 16 August 2007

Alice Whitty with her mobility scooter

Arthritic pensioner loses her blue badge

AN 80-year-old arthritis patient is appealing against the council’s refusal to renew the ‘blue badge’ disabled parking permit she has held for 10 years.
Alice Whitty, of Purchese Street in Somers Town, was told that her permit would not be renewed after she was called to an interview by the council.
She said: “I’m baffled. There was no medical examination at all.
“I cannot walk without pain and though I have got an electric scooter I can only use that in the summer. At home I use a wheeled walking frame. In the winter I have to drive. Who benefits from taking my blue badge away?”
Her GP had previously approved her applications for the permits on the grounds that her mobility was impaired by osteo-arthritis in her hips. Mrs Whitty has also recently suffered arthritis in her knees, she said.
Somers Town councillor Roger Robinson, himself a blue badge holder and campaigner for disabled rights, said yesterday (Wednesday) he would demand a review of the case. He said: “To reject her without a medical is wrong.”
A council spokesman said: “The decision whether someone should or should not receive a badge is not made by council staff as it is only appropriate that those with medical knowledge make these decisions. The criteria for receipt of a blue badge is not set out by Camden but by the Department for Transport. Our panel of independent assessors are all medically qualified, either doctors or occupational therapists, and they carry out assessments which check whether someone meets the criteria defined by the Department for Transport that the applicant has a permanent and substantial disability which means they are either unable to walk or have very considerable difficulty in walking.”
The council has issued 3,472 badges in the past 14 months, and rejected 402.

Comment on this article.
(You must supply your full name and email address for your comment to be published)

Name:

Email:

Comment:

Your Comments: