When we talk about public services in the UK, fairness and compassion should be at the heart of it. Yet, for cancer patients and individuals with other life-altering conditions, the current Blue Badge parking scheme reflects neither. Despite the severe and often disabling effects of treatments like chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, and immunotherapy, many are being denied access to the Blue Badge — a lifeline that enables easier access to essential services during their most vulnerable moments.
The root of the problem lies in a rigid eligibility requirement: the “three-year rule.” To qualify, an applicant must have an “enduring and substantial disability” – defined as being likely to last for at least three years. But many forms of cancer and their treatment-related impacts do not neatly fall within this timeframe. That doesn’t make these conditions any less disabling — physically, emotionally, or psychologically.
This issue was first brought to my attention by Elli Hodgson, a local journalist with the Kent Messenger Newspaper. Her publication recognised that cancer patients, and others with life altering conditions, were being denied vital accessibility provided by the current blue badge scheme.
Take Sandy Burr’s story. Diagnosed with skin cancer and facing the amputation of her toe, she was subsequently rushed to hospital with life-threatening blood clots and underwent immunotherapy that left her debilitated. Yet her Blue Badge application was denied. “It was like a kick in the teeth,” she told me. In the middle of a battle to stay alive, she lacked the strength to even appeal the decision.
Then there’s Bev Evans, who suffered a devastating fall in 2020 that broke her neck. Despite being unable to walk without crutches and having no realistic prospect of recovery, her application was also rejected — twice. The reason? A computer apparently decided she “might” get better within three years. No explanation. No appeal. No support.
These aren’t isolated cases. They’re part of a systemic failure to accommodate those with serious but potentially non-permanent disabilities — people for whom mobility and access become central to quality of life during treatment or recovery.
What makes this situation even more frustrating is that the law already recognises cancer as a disability from the moment of diagnosis, under the Equality Act 2010. If government legislation can acknowledge the profound effects of cancer so definitively, why can’t the Blue Badge scheme reflect that same reality?
Compounding the problem is the excruciating delay in the application process. It can take 12 to 15 weeks for a Blue Badge application to be processed — a timeline that’s simply incompatible with the fast-changing health landscape of cancer treatment. And once rejected, applicants are locked out of reapplying for six months, no matter how quickly or severely their condition deteriorates.
In March this year, I wrote to the Secretary of State for Transport with two simple, practical proposals: either broaden eligibility for the existing scheme to include cancer patients and those with life-altering conditions — issuing the badge for a shorter term, with regular reviews — or introduce a separate but similar badge scheme tailored for those with serious short-term impairments.
The response was disappointing. The Minister confirmed there are no plans to change the legislation. While local authorities may offer their own concessionary schemes, this essentially kicks the can down the road and opens the door to an unfair postcode lottery — where access to compassionate support depends on where you live.
To try and address this, all 18 Kent MPs signed a joint letter to Kent County Council in June, asking them to introduce a locally determined scheme.
We’ve also written to Medway Council along similar lines, but even if these councils do take action, it doesn’t solve the national inconsistency.
The current Blue Badge system isn’t broken, but it is blinkered. It fails to recognise the nuanced, painful, and life-limiting realities of conditions like cancer, and it excludes people who need temporary but urgent mobility support. Reform would require only a small change through secondary legislation, but creating with an enormous human impact.
We need to stop viewing applicants as case numbers and start seeing them as people: individuals navigating some of the most difficult moments of their lives, who deserve compassion, dignity, and fairness.
Let’s not let stories like Sandy’s and Bev’s, and the multitude of other untold stories, fall on deaf ears. Let’s ensure that our system evolves to meet society’s ever changing needs with empathy and common sense. Reforming the Blue Badge scheme won’t cure anyone’s illness. But it could make an incredibly hard journey just a little bit easier.
It’s time we make that change.
It’s Time to Reform the Blue Badge Scheme for Cancer Patients and the Seriously Ill
