Disabled people are suffering with painfully long waits to get parking spaces outside their own homes in Oxford.

Special permits for disabled parking spaces are taking so long years, in some cases to be issued that some elderly applicants have died before receiving an answer.

Now Oxford City Council's highways and traffic committee has decided the process should be speeded up. The delay was said to be the result of a lack of cash, and changes needed in the way disabled spaces are created.

Normally disabled spaces are grouped with ordinary spaces when special legal orders are made to create residential parking zones.

But the process means people who apply for a disabled space outside their own homes must wait until the parking zones are reviewed which only takes place every four or five years.

Cllr Deborah Glass said: "I understand elderly people have actually died waiting for spaces. People are not able to be getting on with their lives because they are unable to leave their homes in some cases where others have parked in front of their house.

"We are asking for a degree of flexibility to be found in how officers process applications."

Mrs Glass suggested the spaces are reviewed three times a year.

John Cramer, principal engineer for traffic and design, said costs were reduced if they waited until several new spaces across the city could be advertised together.

Now officers could deal with disabled spaces separately.

Jean Fooks, committee chairman, said: "I know people are immensely frustrated.

"We have recognised cash is needed and officers will investigate how we could speed up the process of reviewing parking spaces in the city."

Peggy Salcombe, 64, of St Mary's Road, Oxford, is still waiting for a disabled parking bay outside her home after applying for it in February. Mrs Salcombe suffers with a breathing disorder and is largely wheelchair bound. Her husband Michael has to carry large oxygen cylinders to the car, which is often parked more than 100 yards away.