Scottish Transport Statistics No 30: 2011 Edition

Table 1.21 Number of blue badges1 on issue, time series and 2011 breakdown
Time series2 (Totals) Badges on issue as at 31st March 2011:
as at 31st March
Council 2008 2009 2010 2011 Organisations Individuals - Automatic3 Individuals - Discretionary4
Aberdeen City 8,949 8,564 8,313 8,044 98 3,197 4,749
Aberdeenshire5 11,579 9,240 15,601 16,288 128 11,184 4,976
Angus 1,911 5,738 5,991 5,969 120 2,284 3,565
Argyll & Bute 4,351 5,013 4,828 4,438 83 1,890 2,465
Clackmannanshire 2,652 2,430 2,439 2,511 19 1,208 1,284
Dumfries & Galloway 3,119 3,508 3,606 2,922 27 1,131 1,764
Dundee City 6,625 6,428 6,086 6,199 116 3,117 2,966
East Ayrshire 8,070 7,141 6,976 6,819 40 2,913 3,866
East Dunbartonshire 4,937 5,168 5,421 4,738 39 1,761 2,938
East Lothian 4,381 4,769 5,059 5,059 25 2,498 2,536
East Renfrewshire 4,196 4,182 4,269 4,318 18 1,484 2,816
Edinburgh, City of 18,509 20,895 22,093 22,921 246 8,871 13,804
Eilean Siar 820 825 813 969 7 277 685
Falkirk 8,830 8,583 9,156 9,821 66 3,970 5,785
Fife 22,077 22,388 22,045 21,574 362 9,803 11,409
Glasgow, City of6,7 23,917 28,668 29,522 24,761 306 12,804 9,666
Highland8 10,450 11,508 11,282 7,445 199 2,656 4,590
Inverclyde 4,640 4,851 5,123 5,312 133 2,190 2,989
Midlothian 4,455 4,642 4,677 4,654 99 2,130 2,425
Moray 4,448 4,647 4,628 4,849 49 2,100 2,700
North Ayrshire 7,501 7,818 8,263 8,531 113 4,342 4,076
North Lanarkshire 24,704 18,878 19,804 19,019 90 7,982 10,947
Orkney Islands9 2,144 1,299 1,216 1,143 35 291 817
Perth & Kinross 7,805 5,831 5,603 5,551 18 2,824 2,709
Renfrewshire 7,685 8,036 8,761 8,569 66 7,761 742
Scottish Borders10 … … … … … … …
Shetland Islands 299 328 340 383 6 147 230
South Ayrshire 6,051 5,752 5,857 5,958 48 2,406 3,504
South Lanarkshire 16,809 17,539 18,217 19,245 133 10,027 9,085
Stirling11 5,525 5,265 5,034 4,649 70 1,803 2,763
West Dunbartonshire 4,268 4,544 4,781 4,730 93 2,482 2,155
West Lothian 9,094 9,424 9,506 9,691 98 5,424 4,169
Total10 250,801 253,902 265,310 257,080 2,950 122,957 129,175

Source: Scottish Government - Not National Statistics

1. Blue Badges were introduced on 1 April 2000 and eventually replaced all orange badges at 31 March 2003.
2. Totals relate to the number of badges on issue as at 31st March that year. Data prior to 2008 not available, see notes section for more details.
3. Badges issued in the automatic categories to recipients of mobility allowances, the higher rate of mobility component of Disability Living Allowance, Government issued cars or grants towards their own cars, War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement or to registered blind people.
4. Badges issued in the discretionary category to people with a substantial permanent or temporary disability who are unable or have considerable difficulty in walking (Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (Scotland) Regulations 2000 as amended).
5. Aberdeenshire introduced an electronic data capture system in 2010; therefore figures may not be comparable with previous years.
6. Glasgow changed data capture process in 2011; therefore figures may not be comparable with previous years.
7. Glasgow total includes 1,985 badges on issue for 'Other' reason.
8. Highland Council, in April 2010, introduced a fee for the first time which may have contributed to the decline in number of badges issued.
9. Orkney introduced an electronic system in 2009; therefore figures may not be comparable with previous years.
10. Scottish Borders data is under investigation and has not been included. Scotland totals therefore exclude Scottish Borders.
11. Stirling total includes 13 badges on issue for 'Other' reason.