Disabled blue badge sign THE blue badge parking scheme will continue to ‘develop’ in order to ‘offer parity in its delivery’, according to Cheshire West and Chester Council. The authority has defended its record on the applications, after new data showed a ‘shocking disparity’ in the rate of approval for some kinds of disabilities. An investigation by the BBC Shared Data Unit revealed that of the 5,575 blue badge applications since August 2019 — when government rules on eligibility were reformed to include non-visible disabilities — just 57 per cent of non-visible submissions were accepted, compared to 94 per cent for all applications. A council spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “This amendment to the law has resulted in a change in how the council processes applications we receive for Blue Badges.