Disabled parking spaces could be put outside people’s homes on request if a change to council policy is approved following investigation.

Discussions about revising current policy to allow for disabled person parking places (DPPP) at appropriate locations in residential areas have been ongoing within the department of Pembrokeshire council for some time with an internal review flagging up a number of issues.

A report to members of the policy and pre-decision overview and scrutiny committee on Tuesday, June 8 includes a recommendation that councillors establish a working group to help develop a policy and identify funding.

Access officer Jessica Hatchett told the committee that it was a “complex issue” and there had been many discussions about the best way forward since she took up post in November and with her predecessor Alan Hunt.

A report to committee states there are around 9,682 blue badges in circulation in Pembrokeshire and a review of other local authorities in Wales shows that 13 provide the spaces with strict criteria to be met by applicants, and seven, including Pembrokeshire do not.

Residents make requests for a Blue Badge parking space near their homes because of parking pressures but “there is no obligation for the county council to provide residential disabled persons parking places.”

Clr. Tom Tudor said he had made “numerous requests over the years” for such parking, with Clr. Rhys Sinnett adding that most members will have had requests from their constituents.

“A lot of discussions will need to take place before we can implement this policy but I do think it’s a policy we need to implement,” said Clr. Tudor.

Options include providing personalised permit spaces, single disabled spaces in a street, general use spaces, introducing a minimum or maximum percentage of disabled bays per street or postcode area or retaining the existing policy of not providing any residential DPPPs.

Clr. Sinnett added a working group was “an entirely sensible” course of action given the complexity, including what would happen once a space was no longer needed, criteria to be met and how it would be funded, but “it feels uncomfortable just saying no.”