What is a Blue Badge? Who is eligible? How can I apply for a Blue Badge?
We often get asked this question by our More Than Mobility customers both in store and online so we have put together this handy guide on the Blue Badge Scheme and disabled parking. Also if you already have a Blue Badge don’t forget we sell a range of disabled badge wallets available online or in our mobility stores for only £9.99!
The Blue Badge Scheme helps you park closer to your destination if you are disabled. If
you have severe walking disabilities and are classified as disabled you can park for free and for any length of time with a Blue Badge.
If you are not disabled and do not have a Blue Badge then please do not park in a disabled parking space. It is an offence to park a vehicle in a Blue Badge parking bay, without displaying a Blue Badge. If you see this happening you should report it to a traffic attendant or the local police. Police officers and traffic attendants have the right to inspect Blue Badges. It is an offence to refuse or fail to produce a badge for inspection, without reasonable excuse. This offence carries a maximum fine of £1,000.
While the Blue Badge Scheme runs throughout the UK, it is administered by the local authorities in England, who issue the badges. It is also run by local authorities in Wales and Scotland, and the Department for Regional Development in Ireland.
The rules about where you can use the Blue Badge may vary depending on where you are. You should always check whether the scheme operates before you park with your Blue Badge. Also each EU country has its own rules on where the badge can be used.
What does the Blue Badge look like?
The Blue Badge is a flat, plastic-coated, double-sided blue badge. It also contains a form of identification of the badge holder:
- for badges issued after 1 January 2012, the back side of the badge shows a digitally scanned picture of the
badgeholder
- for badges issued before 1 January 2012, the badge has a
- photograph of the holder on the back. If you have this kind of old-style badge, you can continue using it until it expires, and will get a new style badge when you renew it
The badge should be placed loose on the dashboard or fascia panel of the vehicle wherever it is being used.
The badge also comes with a parking disc ‘time clock’ which must be used whenever there is a limit on how long you can park.
Where doesn’t the Blue Badge Scheme apply?
In the UK, the scheme applies throughout England, Wales, Scotland and N Ireland, with the exception of certain town centres.
The Blue Badge Scheme also doesn’t run fully in some London boroughs, because of parking difficulties in these areas:
- City of London
- Westminster
- Kensington and Chelsea
- the part of Camden south of and including Euston Road
If you live or work in one of these boroughs, you can still get a Blue Badge to use outside the area. Your local authority may offer discounted fare schemes to help you use public transport.
The Blue Badge Scheme does not apply to off-street car parks, for example supermarket car parks. However, off-street car parks may provide bays for Blue Badge holders. Please check with notices before parking.
Who is eligible for a Blue Badge?
If you are disabled you may be able to park in restricted areas under the Blue Badge scheme. The scheme is for drivers and passengers.
The following explains who is eligible to get a blue badge and how eligibility may be assessed in England.
Who can get a Blue Badge?
Some people can get a Blue Badge automatically. This is called being eligible without further assessment. You fit into this group if one or more of the following applies to you:
- you are registered blind
- you receive War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement
- you receive the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- you receive the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and you scored at least 8 points in relation to the ‘moving around’ activity in the PIP assessment
- you have been awarded a lump sum benefit from the Armed Forces Compensation scheme (tariffs 1 to 8). You have also been certified as having a permanent and substantial disability which means you can’t walk or find walking very difficult
- you receive a government grant towards your own vehicle
If you were on higher rate mobility component of DLA, but you had to claim PIP instead and didn’t get enough points to be eligible for a Blue Badge, you can continue to use your badge until it expires.
If none of these apply to you, you may still be eligible. This is called being eligible subject to further assessment, and will apply to you if you meet one of these criteria:
- you have a permanent and substantial disability which means you can’t walk or find walking very difficult
- you have severe upper limb disabilities in both arms, drive a motor vehicle and have difficulty using parking meters
- you are applying on behalf of a child over two with a permanent and substantial disability which means they can’t walk or find walking very difficult
- you are applying on behalf of a child under three with a medical condition that requires them to be close to a vehicle for emergency medical treatment or transporting bulky medical equipment
To find out if you’re eligible for a Blue Badge, contact the National Blue Badge Helpline on 0844 463 0213.
How are you assessed?
If you are eligible subject to further assessment, your local authority will look at the evidence of your disability to decide whether you can have a blue badge.
You may need to have an independent mobility assessment. If you have applied for or held a Blue Badge previously, your GP may have carried this out. Assessments now have to be carried out by an independent mobility assessor. This is usually a medical professional such as an occupational therapist or physiotherapist, who has never treated you before.
If your local authority wants you to have a mobility assessment, it will refer you to the assessor. You will not be charged for the assessment.
You may not have to undergo an assessment if your council says it’s very obvious that you are eligible or ineligible.
How is walking ability assessed?
You will generally only be able to get a Blue Badge if you can walk only with great difficulty and at an extremely slow pace or with excessive pain. No other factors, such as how difficult you find it to carry objects, will be taken into account.
Your difficulties must be permanent and not temporary. For example, if you have a broken leg, you can’t apply for a Blue Badge.
How are upper limb abilities assessed?
If you have severe upper limb disabilities, you are eligible for a Blue Badge if all of the following apply to you:
- you drive a vehicle regularly
- you have a severe disability in both arms
- you are unable or would find it very difficult to use a parking meter
You are not eligible for a Blue Badge if you have severe upper limb disabilities and only travel as a passenger.
Local authorities treat applications from people with severe upper limb disabilities as a special case. This means that before making a decision, they might:
- interview you
- inspect your vehicle
- check your insurance documents which state that you drive an adapted vehicle
How to apply for a Blue Badge
The quickest and easiest way to apply for a Blue Badge is online. However, you can also apply for a badge by contacting your local authority directly. You’ll need to fill in a form.
Whichever way you apply, you will need:
- your National Insurance or Child Reference number
- your driving licence number, if you have one
- a digital or signed photograph
- if you currently have a Blue Badge, the number, expiry date and local authority given on the badge
- Apply online through the GOV.UK website at www.gov.uk
- Find out who your local authority is and how to contact them at www.gov.uk
Do you need to provide evidence of your disability?
You may need to send other documents or evidence of your disability. If you are applying online, there will be a message about this on the screen if this is the case. You will need to follow any instructions this gives.
If you should be eligible without further assessment for a badge, you will be asked to provide evidence to show this.
If you fall into the eligible subject to further assessment category, your local authority will make its own decision about whether you need to provide any more details about your disability. You might have to have an independent mobility assessment with a medical professional such as an occupational therapist or physiotherapist. You won’t have to pay for an assessment.
Whichever way you apply, your local authority will get in touch if they need any more information, if they decide that you need a mobility assessment. They will also let you know whether your application has been successful.
Finally if your application for a Blue Badge is refused you can appeal to your local authority – for more information take a look at the Citizen’s Advice website.
Is there a fee?
If your application is successful, your local authority may charge you a fee of up to £10 to cover the cost of the blue badge.
We hope you have found this useful and any further questions do not hesitate to contact us or take a look at the GOV.UK website.
Best Wishes
More Than Mobility Team
www.morethanmobility.com
Not only is today (29th February) a leap year when you can ask someone to marry you but it is also Rare Disease Day. We at More Than Mobility wanted to share this important worldwide campaign with you and to raise awareness about the rare diseases and their impact on patient’s lives #rarediseaseday.
the population. Although the disease may be rare, patients and families share a common struggle.
