Blue Badges for individuals

Who can get a Blue Badge

Not all disabilities or conditions result in eligibility for a Blue Badge.

Disabilities and health conditions can be very varied, and the day-to-day impact can range from mild to very severe, occasional to constant.

A diagnosis of a particular condition on its own may not be sufficient to confirm eligibility for a Blue Badge - we may require further information about how much and how often a condition affects your ability to undertake a journey.

Qualifying for a Blue Badge

You automatically qualify if you are Registered Severely Sight Impaired (Blind) (if you are partially sighted you will need to apply under the physical condition) or if you are in receipt of any of the following:

• 8 or more points under the 'moving around' descriptor for the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment
• Personal Independence Payment with a score of 10 points under descriptor E of the “planning and following a journey” activity of the mobility component - you will have to provide the decision letter from the Department of Work and Pensions. To be eligible for a Blue Badge without further assessment, you must receive the following descriptor: “Cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant” (10 points). No other descriptor will qualify.
• Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance - if you receive attendance allowance you will need to apply under the physical condition
• War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement
• a lump sum benefit from the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme (the lump sum awarded needs to be within tariff level 1 to 8)

Other ways you may qualify

If you cannot walk or find walking difficult

This is not an automatically qualifying criterion. You'll need to answer some questions about your condition and provide evidence to support your application.

Enduring and substantial disability

You may qualify if you have an enduring and substantial disability that:

• is likely to last for the next three years
• has been an ongoing issue
• means you are unable to walk (you can't take a single step) or causes you to experience very considerable difficulty whilst walking

No single factor determines eligibility, but these factors are considered together.

Considerable difficulty in walking

Considerable difficulty in walking is determined by considering the following:

• excessive pain when walking or as a consequence of walking
• breathlessness when walking or as a consequence of the effort of walking
• the speed at which you can walk
• the length of time you can walk for
• the way you walk
• whether walking aids are used
• your outdoor walking ability

You do not qualify if:

• you have a temporary disability or intermittent mobility issues
• you are under two years old
• you require a wide parking bay to open the car door unless you are also unable to walk, or have severe difficulty walking in addition to your condition
• you struggle to get in or out of a vehicle unless you are also unable to walk, or have severe difficulty walking in addition to your condition
• you need access to facilities to manage bowel or bladder incontinence unless you are also unable to walk, or have severe difficulty walking in addition to your condition
• you struggle to carry shopping unless you are also unable to walk or have severe difficulty walking in addition to your condition

Non-visible (hidden) disability

This is not an automatically qualifying criterion. When applying under this criteria, you'll need to answer some questions about your condition and provide evidence to support your application.

You may qualify if you have a non-Visible (hidden) disability if:

• you are constantly a significant risk to yourself or others near vehicles, in traffic or 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

Children under 3 years

If you are the parent of a child who is less than 3 years old you may apply for a Blue Badge for your child if they have a specific medical condition, which means they:

• always need to be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which cannot be carried around without great difficulty
• have to be kept near a vehicle at all times, so that they can, if necessary, be treated in the vehicle, or quickly driven to a place where they can be treated, such as a hospital

The badge will expire on the day immediately following their third birthday.

SR1 or terminally ill

If you have been diagnosed with a terminal illness that seriously limits your mobility or are in receipt of an SR1, you will qualify for a Blue Badge.

Mobility assessments

As part of your Blue Badge application, you may be invited to an appointment over the phone with our independent mobility assessment.

You will be able to book an appointment using the online application (if needed) or we will contact you if you're required to attend a mobility assessment after submitting an application.

How to report misuse of a Blue Badge

If you suspect a Blue Badge is being misused you should obtain as many details as possible from the Blue Badge on display (such as the name, badge number and expiry date).

The council will then investigate the matter and take appropriate action if the Blue Badge can be shown to have been, or is being, misused.

Last updated 17 July 2024