LABOUR has pledged to reverse the controversial ban on Blue Badge holders from York’s footstreets if it wins power at next year’s elections – as it disputed council claims that the policy was needed to counter terrorism.

City of York Council's Labour group said North Yorkshire Police had confirmed that there was no specific terrorism threat to York, despite the prospect of a hostile vehicle attack being the main justification for banning badge holders from large parts of York city centre.

The opposition group claimed no local risk assessment was undertaken on the terrorist threat to York when ruling Lib Dem and Green councillors agreed the ban last November.

It claimed that City of York Council had directly discriminated against disabled people and in so doing, further disabled them.

"If elected in May 2023, we will put right this wrong and overturn the Blue Badge holder access ban," it said.

Labour is the second major party to pledge to reverse the ban if it wins power next year - the Conservatives having already done so.

Labour group Leader Cllr Pete Kilbane claimed North Yorkshire Police had been clear that the council should have undertaken a specific risk assessment for York city centre prior to considering anti-terror measure access restrictions, but no such assessment publicly existed.

“This suggests that the level of threat wasn’t a primary consideration for ruling councillors - or if it was, it was imagined, as we now know there was no specific threat to York and no local risk assessments undertaken to properly understand the threat," he said.

“The discovery that the council cut corners to get to this decision adds further insult to the injury suffered by those disabled people who’ve been locked out of the city centre.

“Labour takes the terror threat extremely seriously, but we believe the council has jumped to a blanket ban with insufficient evidence because it was the easy option. So if in charge of the council come next May, Labour will ensure this discriminatory decision is overturned.

“We’re confident there’s a way to address the terror threat while maintaining access, where the will exists."

Green Party transport executive member Andy D'Agorne slated Labour, saying: "It is seriously worrying to see public safety being made into a political election issue, suggesting that opposition groups are willing to knowingly go against the advice of security services for electoral advantage."

He said the advice on terrorism had been based on the national threat level 'substantial', only one level below that for an imminent specific attack being expected.

"It would obviously be counter productive to expect publication of detailed specific assessment made by our security services," he added.

The Press has asked the council for a response to Labour's claims, and will publish it when received.