DISABILITY rights campaigners have accused the council of using “smoke and mirrors” as the authority presses on with measures it says will improve access to the city centre.

A number of ‘city centre access improvements’ were approved by Cllr Andy D’Agorne on Tuesday, as mitigations – following the council’s decision to remove the exemption which let blue badge holders park in the city’s footstreets. But York Accessibility Action’s Alison Hume, speaking afterwards, said they were “tinkering at the edges”.

Groups and charities supporting disability rights are united in their call for the council to reverse its blue badge ban, Ms Hume added.

The decision, taken by City of York council’s executive in November, has provoked strong opposition and £10,000 has been raised to fund legal challenges.

The council say it is necessary to allow for the installation of bollards to prevent terror attacks.

Campaigner Flick Williams criticised the council’s claim it was improving “safety and mobility for all within York’s footstreet area” when the council has itself admitted some blue badge holders will be unable to access the city centre altogether.

She said: “Please stop using the word ‘all’ when you have already accepted that some are excluded, left behind and are permanently shut out of their own city – smoke and mirrors at every turn.”

David Harbourne, chair of York CVS, said the council’s initial decision-making process was “deeply flawed”.

The council’s plan to improve access by creating more dropped kerbs and improving paving has been slowed due to the historic nature of the streets, including cellars and utilities being close to the pavement surface, but the £250,000 works are continuing.

There have been 32 new disabled bays created around the footstreets, but campaigners have said many are too far away, too small or that they are often used by food delivery drivers. A job advert for the role of an access officer, who will work with disabled people to improve access, is about to be put out.

Other proposed measures include investing in dial-a-ride services, improving access to disabled toilets and updating the council’s website with the latest information. 

Ms Hume said the council was not going to win campaigners over with such measures.

“The council is paying lip-service to disabled people in York,” she added. “What is the point of consulting if you are not listening or hearing? There’s been a gradual exclusion of disabled people in York over the years – the closure of the footstreets was the final straw.”

Cllr D’Agorne, executive member for transport, said the blue badge decision “wasn’t an easy one for the executive”. He added: “This programme of work is very much to acknowledge that the city isn’t accessible for all at the moment and we want to try to make it more accessible for as many people as we possibly can. The reports coming back to my decision sessions are to give transparency about what action is being taken and for the opportunity to give representations on things that we can be doing better.”

A consultation is currently underway on plans to permanently remove all but a few vehicles from city footstreets.