People with a health condition that affects their mobility are automatically eligible for a Blue Badge. In other cases, the local council will assess the eligibility and determine if drivers can access the scheme.
A Blue Badge holder can either be a driver or passenger who has a physical disability, or a health condition such as dementia or autism. Blue Badges can be used with any car the holder is travelling in, not only the one they own, including taxis.
They can also be used in other countries across the world to benefit from free parking bays. A Blue Badge has a cost of £20 and it lasts three years. The application or renewal process can take around 12 weeks and it’s done through the local council.
Transport Minister Guy Opperman commented: “Applications to the Blue Badge scheme are not dependent upon condition but are based on the need of the applicant to park closer to their destination. People with degenerative medical conditions could receive a badge if they meet the eligibility criteria.
“It is for the relevant local authority to decide if an applicant is eligible for a Blue Badge. The Department has no plans to change the eligibility criteria.”
People who automatically qualify for a Blue Badge in 2024:
- people who receive the higher rate of the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- people who receive a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) because they can’t walk more than 50 metres (a score of eight points or more under the ‘moving around’ activity of the mobility component)
- people who are registered blind (severely sight impaired)
- people who receive a War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement
- people who have received a lump sum benefit within tariff levels one to eight 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
- people who 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 they are unable to undertake any journey because it would cause them overwhelming psychological distress
GOV.UK explained: “If you have any score other than 10 points under descriptor E, in the ‘planning and following journeys’ activity of PIP you may still be eligible for a Blue Badge, but you do not automatically qualify. This includes if you have a higher score of 12. You will have to provide evidence to demonstrate your eligibility which will be assessed as part of your application.”
People who could get a Blue Badge in 2024:
- people who cannot walk at all
- people who cannot walk without help from someone else or using mobility aids
- people who find walking very difficult due to pain, breathlessness or the time it takes
- walking is dangerous to their health and safety
- people who have a life limiting illness, which means they cannot walk or find walking very difficult and have a SR1 form
- people who have a severe disability in both arms and drive regularly, but cannot operate pay-and-display parking machines
- people who have a child under the age of three with a medical condition that means the child always needs to be accompanied by bulky medical equipment
- people who have a child under the age of three with a medical condition that means the child must always be kept near a vehicle in case they need emergency medical treatment
- people who are constantly a significant risk to themselves or others near vehicles, in traffic or car parks
- people who struggle severely to plan or follow a journey
- people who find it difficult or impossible to control their actions and lack awareness of the impact they could have on others
- people who regularly have intense and overwhelming responses to situations causing temporary loss of behavioural control
- people who frequently become extremely anxious or fearful of public/open spaces
GOV.UK added: “Your local council will decide if you are eligible for a badge. They cannot start the assessment process until they have all the necessary evidence. It may take 12 weeks or longer to assess your application. If they decide that you are not eligible and you think that they did not take account of all the facts, you can ask them to consider your application again.”
