WHEN APPLYING FOR A RENEWAL OF AN EXISTING BLUE
BADGE APPLICANTS ARE ADVISED TO APPLY AT LEAST
TWENTY-EIGHT DAYS BEFORE THE EXISTING BLUE BADGE
EXPIRES
The Blue Badge scheme has been in place since 1970 and it enables 2.56 million
disabled people to retain their independence. Most badges are valid for three
years and the badge is for the holder’s use and benefit only.
1. Eligibility for a Blue Badge
A person is eligible for a badge if they meet one of the criteria set out in
secondary legislation. They can be assessed as eligible either ‘without further
assessment’ or ‘subject to further assessment’ by the local authority: People
are eligible ‘without further assessment’ if they are over the age of two and:
1. Receive the Higher Rate of the Mobility Component of Disability Living
Allowance; or
2. Are registered blind; or
3. Receive a War Pensioner’s Mobility Supplement; or
4. Have received a lump sum benefit within tariff levels 1-8 of the Armed
Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation) Scheme and has been
certified as having a permanent and substantial disability which causes
inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking;
5. People are eligible ‘subject to further assessment’ if they:
o (a) are over the age of two and are unable to walk or have very
considerable difficulty in walking because of a permanent and
substantial disability;
o (b) regularly drive a car, have a severe disability in both arms
and are unable to operate or have considerable difficulty in
operating, a parking meter ;
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o (c) are under the age of three and have a condition that requires
that they be always accompanied by bulky medical equipment or
requires that they be kept near a motor vehicle in case of need
for emergency medical treatment.
2. The Blue Badge Improvement Scheme (BBIS)
Unfortunately, the Blue Badge scheme has been abused and this abuse has
risen in line with the perceived value of a badge. The National Fraud Authority
estimates that abuse of the Blue Badge scheme is costing an estimated
£46mn per year. The Department for Transport estimates that the annual
benefit of the scheme to disabled people is around £250m or nearly £100 per
annum on average for each badge holder in England. The benefit per person
derived from the possession of a Blue Badge ranges from £35 for people living
in rural areas who make one trip per week, to nearly £5,000 for those who use
a badge to travel to work to London every day.
As a part of the UK Government’s reform program the Blue Badge
Improvement Service (BBIS) and a new style of Blue Badge was
implemented on 1 January 2012. The new style of Blue Badge makes it easier
to crack down on fraud and by doing so it makes it easier for the severely
disabled people who rely on the Blue Badge scheme to find a parking space.
The fee which local authorities can charge for a badge has been £2 since 1983,
but from 1 January 2012 the fee increased in West Berkshire to £10.00.
Figures provided by the Department for Transport show that at March 2011;

There were 2.56 million valid Blue Badges on issue in England and this
equates to 4.9% of the English population holding a valid Blue Badge;

This figure shows an increase by 0.6% since 31 March 2010;

75% of Blue Badge holders have said that they would go out less often
if they did not have a badge and 64% would be more reliant on friends
and family members;

There could be approximately 650,000 additional badge holders – an
increase of 27% - over the next 10 years under the existing eligibility
criteria because of the aging population;

About 36% of badges are issued to people who automatically qualify
because they receive linked concessions or are registered as blind.
About 63% are issued after applicants have been assessed by local
authorities as being eligible. It is this latter category that has seen the
real growth in issue-rate in recent years. 1% were issued to
organisations
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3. What is Blue Badge Improvement Scheme (BBIS)?
The Blue Badge Improvement Service provides:
1. Secure printing, supply and distribution of a new Blue Badge;
2. A common store of key information on badges and badge holders to
enable verification checks to be made quickly and easily, either from a
PC or via smart phones or similar technology;
3. A web-based management information system for local authorities;
4. A national online application form available via Directgov;
5. Blue Badge holders may report lost and stolen badges and update
changes to their details online.
West Berkshire Council is still in charge of administering the Blue Badge
scheme and issuing badges ;
From 1 January 2012 the following changes took effect:

A redesigned Blue Badge to make them harder to alter, to copy or to
forge. The new badges are made of a combination of PVC and PET
instead of cardboard and they are more robust;

Badges now cost £10.00 to cover the costs of administration,
production and postage. This is the first time the fee has been
increased since 1983;

There is a new national helpline for general enquiries for Blue Badges
that will signpost callers to the relevant local authority;

You are able to apply for and renew a badge online via Directgov at
www.direct.gov.uk Those applying and renewing online are able to
track the progress of their application. The address for people to use to
access the online form is www.direct.gov.uk/bluebadge

There is an eligibility checker for those who want to find out if they are
eligible for a badge;

Those who use the on-line application form can sign up for text and
email reminders at renewal time;

Applying for or renewing a badge means completing a different
application form to one you may have completed before. This may
also involve providing different information so that your local authority
can process your application more effectively and take an informed
decision about whether or not you need to have a mobility assessment.
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You may download and print an application form from the Council’s
website by using this link:
http://www.westberks.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=3315&p=0

If you are applying for an Organisational Blue Badge please download
and print an application form from the Council’s website by using the
link below:
http://www.westberks.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=3317&p=0
Supporting Documents Required with a Blue Badge
Application
Please note that whether you apply on-line or submit a postal
application you must provide the Council with supporting documents
to show your:
(a)
Proof of Identity. This may be a certified copy of a birth or
adoption certificate; a marriage/divorce certificate; a civil
partnership/dissolution certificate; a valid driving licence or
passport. A certified copy is where the copy is marked “This is
a true likeness of the original” alongside the signature and
details of the person certifying the documents. Documents
may be certified by Doctors; Teachers; Holders of religious
Office; Town, Parish or District Councillors; Solicitors; and
Police Officers.
(b)
Proof of address. These must be original documents and
documents accepted include a Council Tax bill bearing your
name and address; a utilities bill; a bank statement.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Blue
Badge Improvement Scheme
4. Why is the Blue Badge being re-designed?

The current design is easily copied and forged. Many local authorities
and disabled people have reported incidences of fraudulent copies
being used;

Production of the badge is time consuming for local authorities. Local
authorities currently had to personalise the badge themselves by
handwriting the details and cutting and gluing the holder’s signature
and photograph onto the badge. This leads to inconsistencies and
details can easily be changed;

There are potential security issues with the storage and distribution of
badges, with some local authorities reporting missing stock. Changes
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removed the need for local authorities to order stock and store blank
badges;

Local authorities have said that the standardisation of information on
the badge will help enforcement
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How has the Badge been re-designed?

The badge is harder to copy and to forge and the physical security
features of the badge are enhanced, with the use of new technologies
and printing techniques;
 A supplier has been contracted to personalise, print and distribute
badges to improve security in production, distribution and supply, to
reduce production costs and to help local authorities realise efficiency
savings
How will it make it better?
Using a supplier to manufacture and personalise the badge on behalf of
local authorities has led to:

Greater consistency in the appearance of the badge;

The ability to use different manufacturing and personalisation
techniques offered by a single specialist supplier, increasing the
options of security features for the badge;

The ability to make subtle changes to the badge quickly should the
new-style badge be fraudulently reproduced;

Local authorities no longer have to order stock and store the blank
badges, freeing up space and time;

Local authorities no longer have to personalise each badge they issue,
saving time;

Identifying and standardising the information on the badge aids
enforcement, especially cross boundary checks;

Enhancing the security features of the badge helps to prevent forgery
and deters fraudsters, boosting the credibility of the scheme
5. Why has the fee for a Blue Badge been increased?

Under current legislation, local authorities can charge a badge fee of
up to £2 for successful applications. This fee is payable on issue of a
badge (not on application) and has not changed since 1983. The new
fee from 1 January 2012 has been set at £10;

Raising the fee enables the implementation of the reform programme.
It allows local authorities to recover some of the costs involved in the
new-style badge and administering the scheme.
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Why is the new fee being set at £10?

Local authorities need to be able to continue to deliver a fair and
credible scheme, for those most in need of it, in a sustainable manner;

In 2008, survey evidence suggested that 68% of badge holders
supported an increase in the current £2 fee. When asked how much
they thought would be a fair price, 25% thought that it would be fair to
charge more than £10 and 59% thought that it should be between £3
and £10;.

The average benefit for badge holders from having a badge (and not
having to pay parking charges) is estimated to be £300 over the three
years for which most badges are valid.
What will the fee cover?

The new fee should cover the cost of issuing or reissuing a badge;

The cost of the badge itself.
6. Will the Blue Badge Improvement Service be safe
and secure?
The Blue Badge Improvement Service will adhere to strict HMG security
standards and will only be accessible over secure Government network links

Local authority administrators control access to the service;

Only authorised LA staff have access to the system which is controlled
by unique log-on IDs and passwords;

The system will comply and be operated within the requirements laid
out in the Data Protection Act
Does the new badge include a readable chip?

Not at this time. Badges need to be displayed in the windscreen of a
car and so are used in a different way to bus and train tickets.
Enforcement would be reliant on an officer walking past a vehicle with
a hand-held device that was capable of reading the chip through a
windscreen;

These readers would be expensive for local authorities to buy and
there may be additional administrative costs. The costs therefore at
this time are prohibitive;
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
But the new-style badge could include a chip at some point in the
future (eg five years) if costs reduce and hand-held devices are more
available;

The unique numbering system on the new badge will link in with the
BBIS and will enable roadside checks to be made using mobile devices
that have web browsers
7. Have the rules changed on eligibility?

No. Apart for some minor changes in the case of children under 3 and
severely disabled service personnel, the eligibility criteria are the same
as before. Independent Mobility Assessments (IMAs) may result in
some people not being able to get a badge at renewal
8. What is changing with respect to assessments of
applicants?

From 1 April 2012 in England, the regulations were changed and mean
that people may see an Independent Mobility Assessor when they
apply for a badge. This is to ensure that those most in need receive a
badge and that they are assessed by a person who is trained in
assessing mobility needs;

This only applies to people applying under the ‘with further
assessment’ criteria. If you are seen at the time of your first
application, the assessor may decide that you will not need to be
assessed again at renewal time;

Independent assessors are being used to help avoid compromising the
GP/patient relationship
9. What will it mean if I apply online?

Applying online through Directgov should make it easier for you to
apply as you will only be asked to complete those sections that are
relevant to the eligibility under which you are applying;

If you provide your mobile phone number or e-mail address, reminders
can be sent to you at renewal time thought these routes. Otherwise,
you will be sent a letter;

Some automatic checks can be made to help speed up your
application and to reduce and prevent fraud;

You will be able to track the progress of your application
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10. What are the environmental credentials of the
badge, the clock and the booklet?

The booklet is printed on 100% recycled paper and is 100% recyclable;

The new parking clock is made from 50% recycled polypropylene and
is 100% recyclable;

The new badge is made from a combination of PVC and PET and is
50% recyclable. It cannot be fully recycled due to the new security
features and the need for the badge to withstand being placed in heat
and sunlight for long periods of time;

The new badge has been designed to withstand high temperatures,
such as those found on a car dashboard during the summer months;

The inks used are developed to be lightfast
11. What are the advantages of the BBIS?

Establishing a common system for processing Blue Badge information
and securely printing and distributing badges, prevents many types of
fraud and abuse from happening in the first place;

Local authorities have instant access to key Blue Badge details
anywhere in Great Britain, not just in their local authority area
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