THURROCK has been highlighted as an area of possible discrimination in the award of blue badge parking passes but the local council says it is doing its utmost to ensure fairness.

While far from among the worst offenders highlighted in a new survey by the BBC's Local Democracy Reporting Service, Thurrock has been shown to give out almost 25 per cent less blue badges to those people designated with non-visible disabilities and those of people with physical disabilities.

Thurrock Council, which administers allocation of the badges, has acknowledged the possible discrepancy and says it is working hard to ensure fairness to all.

The blue badge permit scheme was extended a year ago to include people with non-visible disabilities. But a national BBC Shared Data Unit investigation reveals a disparity between the approval rates of people with non-visible disabilities and those of people with physical disabilities.

Many local authorities had lower approval rates for blue badge parking permits from non-visible disabilities applicants and tor ten councils the difference was so stark, it was more than 50 percentage points between the two types of application.

The survey finds that Thurrock refused 23.8 per cent more applications for with non-visible disabilities such as autism, Parkinson's disease, dementia and anxiety than for the more visible signs of disability.

The National Autistic Society says the new survey revealed how important it was for councils to improve staff training to ensure they understood when people should be entitled to a "lifeline" blue badge parking permit.

Tim Nicholls, from the National Autistic Society, said a blue badge could facilitate journeys with a carer for someone with autism who may not be able to understand or react to the dangers of the road.

The permit could also help someone with autism overcome their anxiety over not finding a parking space or things going wrong on a trip, which could stop them from leaving the house entirely, he said.

People who had applied online also told of the "trauma" of having to produce evidence of their disabilities to be scrutinised, and the difficulty of completing the form. In addition, they spoke of their reluctance to send original personal identity documents such as birth certificates in the post.

The removal of accessible parking bays next to shops and amenities "overnight, without any consultation" to allow for social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic had also had a "massive impact" on disabled people, added disability charity Scope.

People with non-visible disabilities, including anxiety disorders or a brain injury, were allowed to apply for a blue badge parking permit for the first time from 30 August 2019.

The Department for Transport said at the time of the change, this was "the biggest change to the scheme in nearly 50 years".

The blue badge scheme was first introduced in 1970 to make access easier for disabled people. It allows holders to park for free in pay-and-display spaces across the UK and for up to three hours on yellow lines.

Cllr James Halden, Cabinet Member for Social Care, said: "In August 2019, the government's blue badge scheme was changed to also grant access to people with non-visible disabilities. This change was enacted so that people with less obvious health conditions, such as autism, can receive the same right to park in disabled bays as those with physical disabilities.

"The council works to help applicants provide supporting medical evidence to secure blue badge parking permits in line with this updated guidance. Some mobility issues are automatically entitled to a blue badge. There is however no automatic eligibility for non-visible disabilities, and residents need to provide one of five types of evidence to be successful in their application.

"We support the Department for Transport's commitment to review the impact of this application process and will always strive to ensure our services and community amenities are accessible to all of our residents including those with visible and non-visible disabilities.

"Of course, if any resident thinks we have not got the balance right they are more than welcome to contact me with their thoughts."

Physical disability applicants are residents who may receive the higher rate of the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA), cannot walk for more than 50 metres or are registered blind.

Residents with a non-visible disability need to provide evidence of one of the following to secure a successful application:

• you are constantly a significant risk to yourself or others near vehicles, in traffic or car parks
• you struggle severely to plan or follow a journey
• you find it difficult or impossible to control your actions and lack awareness of the impact you could have on others
• you regularly have intense and overwhelming responses to situations causing temporary loss of behavioural control
• you frequently become extremely anxious or fearful of public/open spaces

These eligibility lists are not exhaustive, the full guidance can be found [L]https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-badge-can-i-get-one/can-i-get-a-blue-badge [L+here.[.L]