The Blue Badge Scheme provides a national arrangement of parking concessions for people with severe mobility problems who have difficulty using public transport.
The scheme also applies to registered blind people, and people with very severe upper limb disabilities who regularly drive a vehicle but cannot turn a steering wheel by hand. It allows badge holders to park close to their destination, but the national concessions apply only to on-street parking.
Blue Badges are issued by North East Lincolnshire Council. A fee of £10 is charged for issue of the badge which remains valid for a three year period.
To meet the criteria for a Blue Badge you will need to meet one of the points below:
- A - Registration as totally blind under the National Assistance Act 1948. This does not apply to partially sighted registration.
- B - You are in receipt of the Higher Rate of the Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance.
- C - You receive a War Pensions Mobility Supplement.
If you are applying for a badge under the criteria listed at A, B, or C, you will automatically qualify, provided you have the right documentation to support your application.
You may also qualify for a badge if you have a permanent and substantial disability which means that you cannot walk, or which makes walking very difficult.
If you would like to apply for a children's Blue Badge, call 01472 313131.
If you are applying for a badge under this criterion you will need to show that:
- A - You are unable to walk;
- B - Or you have a physical disability that means you are unable to walk very far without experiencing severe discomfort: or
- C - The physical effort needed to walk could damage your health.
People with a behavioural or psychological disorder will not normally qualify unless their impairment causes very considerable difficulty in walking all the time.
You may also qualify for a badge if you drive a motor vehicle regularly, have a severe disability in both arms, and are unable to operate all or some types of parking metre (or would find it very difficult to operate them).
How to apply:
You can apply online at http://www.gov.uk/bluebadge - there is a link on this page called ‘Apply for a Blue Badge online’.
If you prefer to complete a paper application, e-mail us using the e-mail link in the 'Contact Information' section on this page and we will send you an application form (please remember to include your name and address).
You can telephone for an application form on 01472 313131 (lines open 08.00 - 17.30 Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays) or you can call into any of our Customer Access Points for an application form.
Here are the exclusions to application's under the Blue Badge Scheme:
Children under the age of 2 years (unless the child has a specific medical condition which means that they:
- Must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which cannot be carried around without real difficulty.
- Need 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.
- People with a temporary disability such as a broken leg, will not qualify for a badge
- People with intermittent disabilities will not qualify.
- Visitors to the North East Lincolnshire area will not be issued with a car badge by this authority.