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The Welsh government has announced that blue car parking badges, which currently cost £​2, will be free for disabled drivers in Wales. The badges are also being re-designed in an attempt to make it harder for them to be forged.

In order to fund free blue badges however, the Welsh government is proposing to stop compulsory newspaper advertisements that warn motorists about road works. This has angered journalists and newspapers who are concerned that the loss of revenue from these advertisements will lead to job losses and even mean some newspapers will not survive. The Chairman of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) referred to the government’​s proposal as “​astonish​ing”​ and said that whilst supportive of the “​idea of supporting disabled people...there must be better ways of funding the scheme”​.

Carl Sargeant, Transport Minister, defended the government’​s position and confirmed its commitment to tackling poverty. He explained “​Disabled people in Wales are almost twice as likely as non-disabled people to live in low income households and they face extra costs related to managing their impairments which could push individuals further into poverty”​.

The full story can be found at www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-16085973

Thanks to sunnybank for highlighting this story