Number of council-owned disabled parking spaces dwarfed by blue-badge holders
The number of council-managed blue parking spaces is significantly dwarfed by the number of blue badge holders, new data shows.
According to a study from Confused.com, Swindon Borough Council has 69 dedicated blue badge parking bays, but there are 15,641 blue badge holders.
This means that for every 227 permit holders, there is one blue badge space in council-managed areas.
According to Swindon Borough Council, the report only focuses on dedicated spaces that belong the the council, but misses the others available in the town. They said: 'To suggest there are only 69 dedicated blue badge parking bays in Swindon is not the case as it ignores all the spaces in supermarkets, private car parks and out of town shopping centres.
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'It is also worth noting that, in Swindon, blue badge holders can park in any one of the 876 spaces in our surface level car parks that are not allocated for blue badge parking for as long as they want - for free.
'Holders can also park in a resident bay with their badge on display, with no time restriction, as well as limited waiting bays. And, providing their badge and clock is displayed, blue badge holders can park on double yellow lines for three hours.'
According to the same report, there are "3.2 million blue badge permit holders in the UK, in comparison with 63,000 local authority blue badge parking bays".
It also seems that the demand for accessible parking is increasing, with there being a 31% increase between 2022 and 2024 for new applications.
During the 2022-2024 period, there were nearly 250,000 applications rejected.
In England, there are 43,604 parking bays for blue badge holders but 2,635,428 permit holders.
Rhydian Jones, motoring expert at Confused.com car insurance, said: "Blue badge parking spaces are essential for millions of drivers across the UK—but our latest research shows how easily that system struggles.
"This is especially highlighted when there isn't enough availability, and other drivers take advantage of the spaces. 'Shockingly, for every one blue badge parking bay in the UK, there are 52 permit holders who need access to it.
"If you're using a blue badge space without needing one, even for just a few minutes, you could be stopping someone from being able to work, shop, or attend a medical appointment.
"It's clear that more needs to be done—both to increase the number of accessible bays and to prevent misuse.
"And if you're caught using a blue badge space without a permit, you could receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) costing between £70 and £100."
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