Blue Badge demand

SIR – As an occupational therapist who assesses Blue Badge applications, I sympathise with Stella Mills (Letters, July 20), whose husband has been refused one, but it should be said that most councils are overwhelmed with applications of wildly varying merit.

All are assessed against criteria set by the Department for Transport, and complex ones are seen by the occupational therapist, who also assesses an applicant’s medical and physical functions, which may include a hidden disability. If this system was not in place, demand would exceed capacity even more than at present, and Blue Badge holders would struggle to access disabled parking spaces. Sarah Runnacles