YOUR report ‘A rediscovery for city residents' (The Press, February 2) about last weekend’s Residents Festival rings hollow for York residents who are blue badge holders.

We are excluded from enjoying such events following the council’s decision to permanently ban us from the city centre rather than find ways of maintaining such access alongside addressing terrorist threats as other cities have done.

No chance for us to savour the 70+ attractions or support local businesses as Cllr Aspden claims the festival offered.

It’s yet another way of making us feel second class - and more will follow as this ban continues to exclude us simply because we have no other way of getting to places without using our blue badge.

The Council has itself admitted that this is what they are doing but its impact is invisible in articles like yours.

But we are not going away. City-wide disability - and age-related organisations - have joined together to fight to Reverse-The-Ban so that this dreadful state of affairs is overturned and York can once again be proud of all of its residents and open to them.

Remember, the day might come to anyone when they need a blue badge.

From Reverse-The-Ban – reopen York to Blue Badge Users coalition

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