Enabling disabled people equal access when out and about is vital. Going places like a supermarket can be daunting enough as it is, without further obstacles like having to park far away, especially if you have mobility issues.
Blue badges were introduced to allow disabled people access to additional help while getting around, such as car parking closer to store entrances and extra room to move around the car without worrying about the squeeze between cars that can be so common.
It allows holders, or as long as they are in the vehicle, people driving them, to park in disabled parking bays or even on double yellow lines.
A Blue Badge costs up to £10 in England and £20 in Scotland, free in Wales. Local authorities process them, deciding if you are eligible and setting the price, reports LancsLive.
They usually last up to three years before a holder must reapply for a new one. Two categories of people can get a Blue Badge - some qualify automatically, and others will be considered individually.
People who automatically get a Blue Badge
You automatically qualify for a Blue Badge if at least one of the following applies:
- you receive the higher rate of the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- you receive a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) because you can’t walk more than 50 metres (a score of 8 points or more under the ‘moving around’ activity of the mobility component)
- you are registered blind (severely sight impaired)
- you receive a War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement
- you have received a lump sum benefit within tariff levels 1 to 8 of the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation) Scheme and have been certified as having a permanent and substantial disability that causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking
- you receive the mobility component of PIP and have obtained 10 points specifically for descriptor E under the ‘planning and following journeys’ activity, on the grounds that you are unable to undertake any journey because it would cause you overwhelming psychological distress
People who may get a Blue Badge
You may be eligible for a badge if one or more of the following applies:
- you cannot walk at all
- you cannot walk without help from someone else or using mobility aids
- you find walking very difficult due to pain, breathlessness or the time it takes
- walking is dangerous to your health and safety
- you have a life-limiting illness, which means you cannot walk or find walking very difficult and have an SR1 form
- you have a severe disability in both arms and drive regularly, but cannot operate pay-and-display parking machines
- you have a child under the age of 3 with a medical condition that means the child always needs to be accompanied by bulky medical equipment
- you have a child under the age of 3 with a medical condition that means the child must always be kept near a vehicle in case they need emergency medical treatment
- you are constantly a significant risk to yourself or others near vehicles, in traffic or in car parks
- you struggle severely to plan or follow a journey
- you find it difficult or impossible to control your actions and lack awareness of the impact you could have on others
- you regularly have intense and overwhelming responses to situations causing temporary loss of behavioural control
- you frequently become extremely anxious or fearful of public/open spaces
How do you get a blue badge?
In England, Scotland, and Wales, you can apply for a Blue Badge through the GOV.UK website. If you are in Northern Ireland, please refer to this link for information on the application process.
Your local council will determine your eligibility for a Blue Badge. They cannot begin the assessment process until they have received all the necessary evidence from you.
The assessment of your application may take up to 12 weeks or longer. If your application is denied and you believe that the council did not consider all relevant information, you can request that they review your application again.
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