Disabled face wait of over one month to get blue badges

Disabled people in Monklands requiring blue badges are currently facing a wait of over a month to receive the parking permits due to a processing backlog.

One Coatbridge man told how he began the process of renewing his blue badge in January – but only finally received confirmation of its approval in late February, to be followed by a further wait of up to two weeks to receive the new document.

North Lanarkshire Council confirmed that there is currently a delay and apologised to those who have been kept waiting.

The Coatbridge resident, who did not wish to be named, contacted the Advertiser to say:“My badge was up for renewal in January and I had everything ready to start the process two weeks before the date.

“Last time I did it, three years ago, the renewal was just done on the phone; but now it’s online and completely different.

“As it got to the date when it would run out I started phoning up about it – and then I found out they were running six weeks behind, so there would be a period when I’d be without a badge.” He added:“I have to go to hospital two or three times per week but if I can’t park, I can’t go to appointments.

“The delay means there will be people out there without their blue badges.

“Not having one means you’re restricted in where you can go; people with disabilities need to be able to park near their destination so this has a big impact.”

A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said:“There is currently a delay in processing applications for blue badges as a result of operational changes.

“We are working through applications as quickly as possible; and we apologise for any inconvenience this is causing.”

People with disabilities need to be able to park near their destination Anonymous reader