Residential Disabled Parking Bay Policy Amendment
Renfrewshire Council · 27 May 2026
Back to Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board — 27 May 2026 and its agenda
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PUBLIC __________________ To: The Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board On: 27 May 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Residential Disabled Parking Bay Policy Amendment ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 Pressure for parking space on residential streets has in some instances meant that Blue Badge holders, with residential Disabled Parking Bays, are unable to use them because other visiting Blue Badge holders are parking in them. Although instances of this are relatively uncommon, it can have a significant effect on the lives of residents who require the use of a disabled bay close to their home. 1.2 Disabled Parking Bays marked on the road with an associated upright sign, are enforceable for the use of Blue Badge holders only. However, any Blue Badge holder is allowed to use them. To make a Disabled Parking Bay uniquely available to a specified resident, an amendment to policy is required to associate the Disabled Parking Bay with the resident’s Blue Badge in a way that can be enforced by Parking Attendants. 1.3 This report proposes that, only on request, on a case-by-case basis, after assessment by a council officer, the upright sign may be marked with the first 6 unique characters from the resident’s Blue Badge number (or similar) to associate that Disabled Parking Bay with the resident. 1.4 The wording of any future traffic regulation order promoted in Renfrewshire, governing residents’ Disabled Parking Bays, will be amended to make parking by anyone other than the associated Blue Badge holder in a Disabled Parking Bay where the upright sign is so marked, a contravention which may result in the issue of a Penalty Charge Notice. ___________________________________________________________________
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PUBLIC 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board: 2.1 Approves the proposed approach as set out in Section 4 of this report. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 Officers are receiving complaints from residents with Disabled Parking Bays about other Blue Badge holders regularly parking in the bay at their address and denying them convenient access to their homes, which the Disabled Parking Bay is designed to provide. 3.2 Resident Disabled Parking Bays have until now been provided with no unique reference to a specific Blue Badge holder because pressure on parking space has not required it. 3.3 More often now, officers are seeing pressure for on-street parking space in residential areas increasing and this being reflected in more requests for Resident Disabled Parking Bays. In some circumstances even Resident Disabled Parking Bays are coming under pressure from visiting Blue Badge holders. 3.4 On these rare occasions it is proving necessary to allocate Disabled Parking Bays to an individual resident Blue Badge holder to retain their purpose. 3.5 It is proposed to achieve this by adding a clause into the council’s traffic orders, promoted in accordance with the Disabled Persons’ Parking Places (Scotland) Act 2009, which will make parking in a Resident Disabled Parking Bay by anyone other than the holder of a Blue Badge with the same first 6 characters (or similar) as those shown on the upright sign associated with the Disabled Parking Bay, a contravention which may result in the issue of a Penalty Charge Notice. _________________________________________________________ 4. Proposed Approach 4.1 A complaint is received that a Resident Disabled Parking Bay is being regularly used by another Blue Badge holder(s), denying the resident the ability to use the bay as it was intended. 4.2 A council officer will visit the location and monitor the use of the Disabled Parking Bay to corroborate the complaint. 4.3 Should the council officer agree, the address of the Disabled Parking Bay in question will be added to a list against the Blue Badge number of the resident holder and their name. 4.4 The list will be kept by administrators in the Parking Section and will have entries added or removed from time to time.
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PUBLIC 4.5 The upright sign associated with the Resident Disabled Parking Bay in question will be revised to show the first 6 characters (or similar) of the Blue Badge number of the associated resident holder. 4.6 Parking Attendants will be able to confirm the vehicle parked in the Resident Disabled Parking Bay is legitimate by comparing the first 6 characters (or similar) of the Blue Badge displayed in the windscreen with those shown on the upright sign associated with the Resident Disabled Parking Bay. 4.7 Vehicles not displaying the Blue Badge which matches the upright sign may be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice. 4.8 Subject to approval by the Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board, the necessary changes to allow the enforcement of such Resident Disabled Bays will be made to the next order to be promoted, “The Renfrewshire Council (Disabled Persons’ Parking Places) (Various Locations, Renfrewshire) Number Ten Order 202*". 4.9 Where it is considered necessary, a Disabled Bay available to the general public may be promoted nearby the Resident Disabled Parking Bay to meet the observed demand. _________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial - the nominal capital and revenue costs of implementing and maintaining the proposed amendment can be accommodated within existing budgets. 2. HR & Organisational Development - The amendment marginally increases the enforcement extents of the Council’s Parking Attendants which will be accommodated within current staffing levels. 3. Community/Council Planning – Children and Young People – N/A Community Care, Health & Well-being – Positive outcome Empowering our Communities – Positive outcome Greener – N/A Jobs and the Economy – N/A Safer and Stronger – N/A 4. Legal - The relevant legislation is the Local Authorities' Traffic Orders (Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 1999 and the Disabled Persons’ Parking Places (Scotland) Act 2009
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PUBLIC 5. Property/Assets – N/A 6. Information Technology – N/A 7. Equality & Human Rights (a) The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. Some negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified and not all can be fully mitigated. Despite the potential for adverse impact it is believed that it is reasonable and proportionate to take the action recommended in the report. A full copy of the Equality Impact Assessment undertaken is attached. 8. Health & Safety - The primary reason for the policy amendment is to guarantee safe and convenient access to Blue Badge holders’ homes. 9. Procurement –N/A. 10. Risk - no risks have been identified in relation to the proposal. 11. Privacy Impact – N/A. 12. Climate Risk –N/A. 13. Children’s Rights – N/A. 14. COSLA Policy Position – N/A. ___________________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers - None ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Mark Higginbotham, Transportation and Active Travel Manager