Revoke the demonstration ban outside the Liberal Democrat conference in York

Disabled people and their supporters staged a demonstration outside the Barbican Center as delegates arrived for the Liberal Democrats’ spring national conference.

The event, organized by Reverse the Ban, was opposed a blue badge ban in the city center brought in by the Green Lib Dem coalition that controls City of York Council.

Afterwards, the demonstrators said that delegates from different parts of the country had expressed their support.

York-based disability campaigner Flick Williams, who won an undisclosed sum from the council last month in an out-of-court settlement over pavement cafes, has accused the Lib Dems’ national leadership of failing to respond to letters and emails from the campaign.

She said the campaigners held a demonstration to stand up for their disability rights.

“Repealing the ban is, of course, non-partisan.

“But life is politics, and that’s why we prepared a leaflet outlining the positions of four political groups that were presented to us on the eve of local elections on May 4.

“If the Lib Dems and Greens lose control of this Council in May, they will only have themselves to blame.

She said: “If the Greens were holding a conference we would be protesting outside their conference too!”

The Liberal Democrat conference continues all weekend.