A one-armed man been refused a disabled parking permit - after being told he needed to lose ANOTHER limb to qualify.
Roy
Sowerby, from Middlesbrough, is registered disabled after he lost his
arm when it was crushed in an industrial accident 11 years ago.
And
Mr Sowerby, 58, has had the Blue Badge permit for his car for the last
three years. But when he went to renew it this year, he was told he
could not have one.
The dad-of-five, who drives an automatic car, told the Evening Gazette : “I’d like the council to tell me how I am not disabled."
“They said if I lost another arm or a leg then I would qualify for one.
“So
do I have to cut off my legs or my arm or my head to qualify for one?
They said I can’t have one because I can carry a bag but I can’t carry
anything bulky or heavy or big.”
He said wielding a shopping trolley was a challenge and he needed to park close to the supermarket to make it easier.
Middlesbrough
Council said Mr Sowerby is no longer eligible under new rules drawn up
in 2012 by the Department for Transport (DfT).
The
authority said Blue Badges are issued for three years and, under
current rules, applications for the discretionary permits are “required
to undergo independent assessment to determine their eligibility”.
“Those
applying for a discretionary Blue Badge must have a severe disability
in both arms or a permanent and substantial disability that causes
inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking,” a
spokesman for the council said.
“The
criteria for eligibility in the first instance are that the applicant
has a severe disability in both arms, regularly drives an adapted or
non-adapted motor vehicle regularly, and also considerable difficulty in
operating parking meters.
“To
qualify for a Blue Badge all three criteria must be met. The DfT state
that ‘in no circumstances should anyone who does not satisfy all three
of the conditions set out above receive a badge’.
“The
guidance adds that ‘in particular, a badge should not be issued to a
person who travels solely as a passenger or a person who has difficulty
carrying parcels, shopping or other heavy objects such as luggage’.”
