January 2010

Welsh Assembly reveals overhaul of blue badge parking scheme
The Welsh Assembly has revealed plans to improve the blue badge scheme for disabled parking in Wales. These include extending eligibility for use of the spaces to disabled children under three, people with temporary conditions and new groups of disabled people.

Loo of the Year 2009 Award winners announced
The winners of the 2009 Loo of the Year Awards were announced in December at the National Motorcycle Museum, near Birmingham. The annual competition, run by the British Toilet Association, seeks to highlight the best ‘away from home’ toilets in the UK.

New older people’s housing category in 2010 Housing Design Awards
The 2010 Housing Design Awards will feature a new category to celebrate excellence in the design of housing for an ageing population. The addition comes following the publication of the Housing our Ageing Population Panel for Innovation (HAPPI) report published last month, which recommends that the design and build of housing for older people become an immediate national priority.

Closing date for second round of Access to Volunteering funding announced
The Office for the Third Sector has announced that the deadline for second round Access to Volunteering fund applications will be 8 February 2010. The £2 million fund, which aims to increase the number of disabled people volunteering through giving grant funding to volunteer-involving organisations, is currently being piloted in London, the West Midlands and the North West.

Deadline for Access to Nature applications brought forward
Natural England has announced that the deadline for applications to the Access to Nature grant scheme has been brought forward.

Employment Support Allowance assessments to be reviewed
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is to review the work capability assessment test for the Employment Support Allowance (ESA), after strong criticism that the system would lead to many disabled people being unfairly penalised.