swansea council blue badge
The Equality Act 2010 allows for the better or more favourable treatment of people with impairments based on evidence, in order to provide equality of opportunity. It can take up to 12 weeks to process an application. You can use your Blue Badge to park in certain restricted areas for free, including: at on-street parking meters. Mobility Activity 1 plus Mobility Activity 2. It allows public sector workers to share good practices, ideas and practical tips: bbds-uk-gov.slack.com. Applicants applying through Gov.UK can check their eligibility on-line. Common examples of organisations that may be eligible include residential care homes, hospices or local authority social services departments that transport groups of people who would meet the eligibility criteria for an individual Blue Badge. See regulation 4(2) of the Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (Wales) Regulations 2000 (S.I. Any breathlessness reported by the applicant when walking, or as a consequence of the effort of walking. This part of the criteria is intended to identify people with serious chest, lung or heart conditions who may be physically able to walk normally. Where you cannot park. If you already have a Blue Badge and its nearly expired, or if you want to check if you're eligibleyou can apply or re-applyonlineon GOV.UK. Where badges are subsequently reported as stolen by badge holders, some authorities will request the badge holder provides a crime investigation number (issued by the police), before providing a replacement. You will need to re-apply for a Blue Badge at the end of the 3 years. The Disabled Persons Parking Badges Act 2013 does not empower the local authority to use force when attempting to retain a badge. Any such reminders should be handled very sensitively given the circumstances that family or carers will be facing following their bereavement. An applicant receiving the WPMS will have an award letter from Veterans UK. Please note, we do not accept cheque, cash or postal orders. The local authority must ensure that a robust assessment can be made, using healthcare professional evidence, including reports, letters (not appointment letters) summaries and assessments by relevant healthcare professionals involved in an applicants care. They should also be involved in any targeted enforcement activity: once a Blue Badge is seized, a PCN can be issued as the vehicle is illegally parked. The table below details the eligibility criteria and evidence requirements. You receive War Pensioners Mobility Supplement. Applicant is in receipt of Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance (HRMCDLA), An original HRMCDLA award letter dated within the last 12 months, Applicant is in receipt of War Pensioners Mobility Supplement, Applicant is in receipt of Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (tariff 1-8), An original award letter, which also certifies that you have a permanent and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty walking, People awarded Tariff 6, - Permanent Mental Disorder of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, An original award letter which demonstrates that the applicant has been awarded tariff 6 - Permanent Mental Disorder under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, Applicant is registered as sight impaired under section 29(4)(g) of the National Assistance Act 1948, An ophthalmologist report or CV1/BD8 form confirming that the person is severely sight impaired (blind) or registration with local authority as sight impaired. Renew a Blue Badge. A shorter model application form has been provided for use in this type of case and the requirement for a photograph can be lifted. See regulation 6(4)9(c) of the 2000 regulations. Guidance for local authorities on how to deliver the Blue Badge Scheme. This group may also need to stop to perform an urgent medical procedure e.g. Discrimination against transsexual and transgender people is unlawful and good practice is to regard the individual in the gender with which they identify. A local authority may require the return of a badge on account of its misuse leading to a relevant conviction or where the authority is satisfied that the badge was obtained by false representation (Footnote 12). In those circumstances, it is recommended that the photograph is certified by a person, other than a partner or family member of the applicant, who has known them for a minimum of two years and is 18 years or over. See regulation 9(1)(b) of the 2000 regulations. Good Practice: It is recommended that where possible, civil enforcement officers undergo PACE training as part of their role. It is important that detailed information on the eligibility criteria is provided to all applicants at an early stage to provide realistic expectations and prevent time being wasted by applicants who do not meet the criteria. Medical conditions such as asthma, Crohns disease, conditions leading to incontinence and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) A common theme among some authorities that have had success in this area is involving other departments and other agencies. BBDS has a system of reminder letters to badge holders when a Blue Badge is approaching its expiry date. WebApply for or renew a Blue Badge Check your eligibility and apply for a Blue Badge. It may also be relevant to consider whether an applicant who is not using any form of walking aid at the time of their application could improve their walking ability, to the extent that they would no longer demonstrate very considerable difficulty in walking, through the correct use of such an aid. Regulations require the immediate return of expired badges. Local councils expect to take longer to reissue Blue Badges. Where a badge is displayed on a motor vehicle, section 21 of the 1970 Act provides a power for constables or enforcement officers to require any person who is in the vehicle, or appears to have been in, or to be about to get into, the vehicle, to produce the badge for inspection. Local authorities are responsible for the day-to-day administration and enforcement of the scheme. To aid the inspection process, a gender marker has been added to the badge serial number. Local authorities should consider developing a range of tools and techniques to deal with different types of offenders and different types of offences. In the majority of cases there is no statutory appeal process after the local authority has decided to turn down an application (Footnote 9). Local authorities may refuse to issue a badge where the applicant holds or has held a badge, misused it and received a relevant conviction (Footnote 10). Protected characteristics consist of: race, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership and gender reassignment. All applications should be handled sensitively and applicants and their carers treated with respect and courtesy, but this is particularly important when an applicant is terminally ill. Non-essential cookies are also used to tailor and improve services. suction of a tracheostomy tube: It is recommended that local authorities treat each application for children under the age of three as a special case. Those who abuse or misuse the Blue Badge scheme may find it easy to convince themselves that no one really suffers as a consequence of the abuse or misuse, or that it is acceptable because everyone does it. The following link has all the contact details:Contact the Disability Service Centre. You might have to pay to use off-street car parks, such as: See regulation 9(1)(d) of the 2000 regulations.. It is important to consider the persons ability to negotiate the types of pavement or road one would normally expect to find in the course of walking outdoors. WebRequest a Blue Badge to replace one thats been lost, stolen or damaged. For an individual person badge the mandatory fields for applications through BBDS are: Whilst the National Insurance Number is not a mandatory field, the Welsh Government recommends that local authorities complete this field, where possible, because it is helpful in confirming the identity of an applicant. Please note that some police forces will only issue an incident number when there is evidence that a crime has taken place. In order to streamline administration when verifying an applicants proof of entitlement, local authorities should consider using electronic records held about the applicant by other council departments and agencies, where such records are accessible and up to date. Following any report of misuse, the Welsh Government suggests that a letter be sent to the badge holder informing them of the report of suspected misuse, reiterating their rights and responsibilities and the repercussions of abusing or misusing the badge. The badge holder does not need to be issued with a replacement badge with the new local authority name. Youll need a recent digital photo showing your head and shoulders. Several factors may be relevant and having considerable difficulty walking is defined as one or more of the following: Excessive pain reported by the applicant when walking, or as a consequence of the effort of walking. If the person regains their mobility or it substantially improves during the issue period of the badge they should surrender the badge as outlined in the rights and responsibilities Booklet they receive when they are issued with their badge. WebUse our checker to find out if you are eligible for a Blue Badge. An example of such a letter can be found at Annex C. The Welsh Government recommends that local authorities consult their own legal teams before taking any action. They'll also let you know if you need to go to a mobility assessment. First published: 1 May 2017. In cases where it is clear that the applicants impairment will improve within 12 months the application should be rejected without further assessment. An applicant who is registered blind or as severely sight impaired will often be registered with the local authoritys Social Services Department (or their agents). It is recommended that local authorities provide applicants or carers on behalf of an applicant with information on the scheme, in particular eligibility criteria, the application process and assessments. When you are eligible for a Blue Badge. This will likely require evidence from consultants, specialists or therapists and this may be providedby. Non-essential cookies are also used to tailor and improve services. WebThe Blue Badge scheme provides a national range of parking concessions to help people who are severely sight impaired, or permanently physically impaired, travel It should be remembered, however, that whilst this may make it difficult to withdraw a badge that is being systematically abused by a friend or family member, a local authority may refuse to reissue a badge if it has reasonable grounds for believing that the applicant would permit another person to use it (Regulation 8(2)(d)(ii) of the Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (Wales) Regulations 2000). You can apply for a As part of their role, it is important that there is effective communication between the teams that issue Blue Badges and those that conduct on-street parking enforcement. It is recommended that local authorities have a clear policy on how much, and under which circumstances, they will charge for a replacement badge and organisational badge. People who may be issued with a badge without further assessment are those who are more than two years old and fall within one or more of the automatic eligibility descriptions below. The intelligent use of cross-checking existing council records may identify information to support an application under the subject to further assessment walking criterion. This process can be made easier through the use of technology. This is particularly relevant in the case of children with hip dysplasia, as after treatment is normally limited to three and six months. Such training will help staff to understand the importance of the scheme to those who may rely upon it to access goods and services. Assessing applications under discretionary criteria can be challenging. If the applicant has lost their HRMCDLA award or uprating letter, then they can be advised to contact the Disability Service Centre for a current award letter. You can follow the link provided here to tailor your experience, or accept all and continue on this page. Welsh Government recommends that where a badge application is refused or a badge is withdrawn under these circumstances the applicant should be informed by the local authority of his right to appeal and the time limit for doing so. The line can also be used for injecting medication, Syringe drivers: are used to deliver medication by intravenous injection (e.g. In addition, some disabilities may not be immediately visible. However, applicants will need to provide healthcare professional supporting evidence and need to show that they have considerable difficulty walking. These employees should be reminded that if they use the badge to take advantage of the concessions when there are no passengers in the vehicle who are themselves eligible for a badge they could face a fine of up to 1,000. The marker has been added to the badge to help civil enforcement officers and police officers to identify obvious cases of badge misuse. Non-essential cookies are also used to tailor and improve services. When you apply you will need to provide an original award letter from the Ministry of Defence. Publicising a helpline (if sufficiently resourced to be useful) also serves as a deterrent to potential fraudulent Blue Badge users and it instils confidence among people with impairments that the council is responding to this serious issue. If there is a further challenge this should be considered by an independent person within the local authority such as the Monitoring Officer. An individuals eligibility for a Blue Badge is considered in terms of being eligible with or without further assessment. If the local authority is using a specialist in functional mobility they need to determine whether the application meets the criteria found in Appendix B. Some local authorities operate a dedicated phone line and / or email address for people to report misuse. The rightful owner can take action to recover the goods through the civil courts. See regulation 7(1) of the 2000 regulations. This is unnecessary if the applicant gives consent for the local authority to check council tax records, the electoral register or school records to confirm the address. Whilst an original assessment may have determined that they meet the criteria for a period of more than 12 months, consideration will need to be given to the applicants recovery or progress as well as anything else which could affect or change the original prognosis. It is recommended that proof of address be provided in the form of an original council tax bill bearing the applicants name and address. For example, if an applicant is only able to walk for less than one minute in total then walking is likely to be very difficult for them. This could include a direct employee of the local authority or a contractor. Local authorities in Wales are responsible for licensing these sites; and deciding, through the conditions that they impose, whether tenants are able to use the site address as their principle address. You should consider this to make sure you are not without a Blue Badge. If an applicant does not meet the required score for either Mobility Activity 1 (12 points) or Activity 2 (8 to 12 points), they fail to meet the automatic criteria. Check if you are eligible for a Blue Badge, Please select the option that applies to you. An example recall letter in these circumstances is provided at Annex E. The Tell Us Once system should be used to ensure that Blue Badges are cancelled as soon as possible after the badge holder dies. 11. To only allow the cookies that make the site work, click 'Use essential cookies only.' Some applicants may find it difficult to provide the appropriate documentation, so it is recommended that local authorities are more flexible in assessing the proof of identity of transgender people. They make take longer than usual to send you a reply. This requirement has implications for car park operators who may have to demonstrate that, as well as marking out parking spaces for Blue Badge holders, they have taken reasonable steps to ensure that they are available and accessible to people with impairments. It is important that people in the local authority area, who might be eligible for a Blue Badge, are made aware of the scheme and how they can apply for a badge. Removing expired badges from circulation will reduce fraud. 2012/309 (W. 50)) for circumstances in which an appeal to Welsh ministers will be considered. People with epilepsy will need to show (by providing healthcare professional evidence) that any fits were brought about by the effort required to walk. It is more often the case that a MacMillan nurse or relevant health specialist will be the person applying on behalf of an individual. In cases where this is not possible badges may be delivered to the local authority office for collection. They blow oxygen-enriched air gently into the lungs through a tube that is passed through the mouth or nose, or via a tracheostomy, Suction machines: are portable suction apparatus used for aspirating fluids and vomit from the mouth and airway by sucking the material through a catheter into a bottle using a vacuum pump (piston, diaphragm, or rotary vane), bacterial filter, vacuum gauge, trap for moisture (or any debris accidentally drawn into the mechanism), a reservoir for the aspirated material, and a suction catheter or nozzle, Feed pumps: deliver fluid feeds via nasogastric tube to the childs stomach, Parenteral equipment: services intravenous lines providing nutrition if a child is unable to take food or fluids through his or her mouth. See regulation 8 of the 2000 regulations. It is for the local authority to decide their own procedures and these may include drop-in centres, telephone, postal and online services. The Blue Badge Digital Service enables data sharing and enforcement checks quickly and easily. Depending on the circumstances and local policies, the vehicle may also be removed to a pound. WebThe Blue Badge scheme provides a national range of parking concessions to help people who are severely sight impaired, or permanently physically impaired, travel any questions or problems you have after you get your badge. When dealing with such reapplications, local authorities are also reminded that this criteria seeks to capture individuals who have a condition which is expected to last 12 months. Some local authorities enable the general public to report abuse or misuse. When a badge has been lost, stolen or destroyed, or has become so damaged / faded that it is illegible, the local authority can issue a replacement badge. The applicantmaybedeemedeligible ifthey canwalk50-80 metres (approximately 55 to 87.5 yards) without pain or breathlessness, but demonstrate very considerable difficulty in walking through a combination of other factors(e.g. Where a badge is issued by post a covering letter will be included referring to the rules and responsibilities of the badge holder. Your cookie preferences have been saved. Where third parties report abuse, we would encourage local authorities to follow up the matter and to take action as appropriate in order to deter or prevent repeat offending and to encourage greater public involvement. They need to be able to share the information they have on badge holders. It is for local authorities to make this judgement, based on their local knowledge of the organisation concerned. Youll also need a photo or scan of your: proof of identity (such as a birth certificate, passport or driving licence), proof of address (such as a Council Tax bill or government letter), your National Insurance number (if you have one), the details of your current Blue Badge (if youre reapplying). Eligibility for a Blue Badge does not depend on diagnosis, but on how an individuals mobility is impaired, which is outside of the specialism of the majority of GPs, Has a temporary and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking. Welsh Government considers it important to establish procedures for the return of expired badges; it may be a case of simple exchange, an expired badge for a new issue. People with these conditions may be eligible for a badge, but only if they are in receipt of HRMCDLA on account of their condition or are unable to walk or have very considerable difficulty in walking, in addition to their condition. Councils can charge up to 20 for a Blue Badge. You have a severe disability in both arms. In no circumstances should a badge be issued to an applicant who does not meet one of the eligibility criteria set out in the legislation that governs the scheme and badges should never be issued to people solely on the basis of their age. Bear in mind that healthcare professionals do encourage mild exercise to improve certain conditions so these cases will need to be looked at and considered on an individual basis. 4. 18. If this is to be successful, they must be able to demonstrate that the information supplied can be acted on and responded to. Youll also need a photo or scan of your: Welsh Government provides funding to local authorities to cover the cost of the Blue Badge through the Revenue Settlement Grant. In order to help determine eligibility of applications, local authorities could ask the applicant organisations: The Regulations governing the scheme does not specifically mention actual numbers to be cared for in order to qualify for a badge. Eligible organisations may apply for an organisational badge in their own right, however, Welsh Government recommends that where relatively few people meet the eligibility criteria for a badge that the eligible people themselves or their carer /relative should apply for the badge. This then allows the eligible person to use the badge independently of the organisation in any vehicle they travel in as a driver or passenger to visit family/friends or medical appointments etc. Blue Badges are not renewed See regulation 9(1)(f) of the 2000 regulations. You can apply for a Blue Badge yourself, for someone else, or for an organisation (such as a care home). In cases where the local authority has accepted and processed an application by telephone, post or electronically and have not seen the applicant, the local authority may prefer that the applicant collects the badge. Please speak to us so we can advise you on whether you can apply. You are completely unable to walk, have considerable difficulty walking or substantial impairment to mobility. Local authorities should make it clear when issuing a badge that it should be returned to the issuing authority if the recipient no longer needs it (Footnote 13). Your local council processes your application. This is considered to be good practice because a badge holder is less likely to falsely claim that a badge has been stolen if required to formally report this to the police. See regulation 2(1) of the 2000 regulations. Contact your local council if need help reapplying for a Blue Badge. There is a role however, for all enforcement officers in identifying, lost, stolen and fraudulent badges as part of their day to day activities. hospital re-enablement teams involved in patient care, local authority social services who assist in patients rehabilitation, health professionals providing specialist services, and these may be paid for privately or, the Independent Assessment Services (IAS) funded by Welsh Government, A good indicator is if the applicant is undertaking a course of rehabilitative therapy, for instance physiotherapy, then the application will merit further assessment by IAS. Use our checker to find out if you are eligible for a Blue Badge. The key responsibility of local authorities is to ensure that badges are only issued to those applicants who meet the strict eligibility criteria set out in the relevant legislation. For example Motor Neurone Disease (MND) or some cancers. A script for civil enforcement officers when dealing with suspected misuse can be found at Annex I. emphysema, heart conditions, etc.) Examples may include: This list is indicative only and is not intended to be exhaustive: all applications will need to be considered on their individual merits. This would cover, for example, cases where a badge has suffered accidental damage or where a badge may have been tampered with in some way. By continuing to use this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Separate guidance on how to use the BBDS is available: BBDS guidance (confluence). However, there are certain exceptions as explained below: Where HRMCDLA, PIP or WPMS has been granted for a period of longer than three years, the badge can still only be issued for the standard three year period. This will help the authority to provide greater transparency to applicants and to demonstrate that correct procedures have been followed in event of a complaint. You have a terminal illness that seriously limits mobility.
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