Why do people question blue badge holders?

[TeenLifeMum]

I’ve seen comments over the years about people being challenged for not looking disabled. But they’re not easy to get - in fact they seem ridiculously challenging and dad might be dead by the time he bloody gets one. Medical records and consultant’s letter isn’t enough, he needs an interview… but they keep arranging the interview for when he’s having cancer treatment (every day so I appreciate it’s hard to schedule).

Just needed to vent.

@Imdunfer - wow! Mine took 5 months and I had to go to an in-person assessment. They did apologise for the backlog.

I gave permission for the BB dept to contact my GP, and I had to attend an assessment as well. I don't recall it taking too long, to receive my BB.

I guess it's councils doing a balancing act, and my council would prefer to let some bad apples claim a blue badge and spend the money yours spends on checking people out elsewhere?

You’re an adult, and if you don’t qualify for a BB then presumably your disability doesn’t prevent you from using normal parking spaces.

That's an incredibly simplified and immaculate assumption. For a start, BB availability seems to vary hugely by area , so for some people it's more about where they live than their level of mobility etc.

Up thread someone mentioned a relative using one whilst waiting for hip replacement - my mum couldn't, because the waiting list was too short for her to qualify, even though the waiting list of 3 months turned into nearly 2 years.

Secondly, there are many disabilities which severely impact mobility but fall short of BB requirements (in places that are strict about it).

Where we live we are having issues parking in supermarkets. The spots seem to be fully occupied for most of the times we go, especially in a particular one close to town. So that leaves us taking the wheelchair, unfolding it and getting into it in a narrower space than ideal.
Most of the drivers we are seeing there walk in and out the shop and walk all around the shop. It leaves me wondering, sometimes, if they are using someone else's batch.
But I have never seen anyone challenged, even on that parking lot.
Furthermore, some people just parks by the entrance- double yellow line. There was a car on the pavement last time we went in. It is less than two minute walk from the farthest point in the car park. Yet, they all want to be just at the door. There are plenty of free spots. Yet they all crowd, park illegally just by the door of this one particular place.

It is really sad to hear that people with serious mobility issues are not given a blue badge.
It seems to be a post code lottery indeed and it should not be so, at all.

It sounds like this/ these supermarkets are not managing their car parks, in an effective way, if so many of their shoppers are being inconvenienced like this. They should be doing BB checks regularly. I would be raising the issues to the store manager, or taking my custom elsewhere.

Firstly, plenty of people have blue badges and need disabled spaces but are able to walk. My son has profound SEND. His legs work, but he can’t get in and out of the car unaided and we need enough space to be able to do up his specialist restraints for travel. He also has no sense of safety and danger so the short distance from disabled parking to the shop is much safer than crossing a busy car park where at any time he may try to bolt away.

Secondly, if you have a blue badge you can legally park on a double yellow.

It's definitely rare!

Well, my dad has had his interview this morning and it was turned down because he doesn’t need walking aids and breathlessness doesn’t score high enough. He has to walk so bloody slowly and after chemo can barely get from the kitchen to the living room. It’s such a battle. Mum had to drop him at the front of the shop and go off and park, but with the brain tumour he’s at risk of seizures so she hates leaving him. Argh!

It seems like such a postcode lottery, who gets a blue badge and who doesn't. I get DLA (the Scottish version of PIP), and the award letter from that, plus my agreement to let them contact my GP was sufficient to get my blue badge. I can hardly walk any distance, and get breathless just walking round the house, and I have a walking aid, but go out so rarely that I almost never use it.

It sounds as if I need the BB less than your dad does, @TeenLifeMum, so it is horrifying to me that a) he had to go for an interview and b) he was denied the badge! Can you appeal?

We’ll definitely take advice and appeal. The response came within an hour of his interview and the report includes answers to questions he wasn’t even asked - apparently he can climb stairs with no issues… they never asked. Mum thinks the assessor filled in a part filled in form as so much is wrong with it. They just don’t need this hassle. I’m no angry they have to fight for it. Never have they asked for anything in their lives.

Did you get help with the form?

I'm really shocked to hear that OP. Mine was straightforward and I don't get mobility related PIP. Just applied online.

Definitely appeal- shocking he's been treated that way.

They did the form with the brain tumour charity support and included consultant notes etc. Then had an interview and the report doesn’t match the conversation they had. Mum was there (as dad wouldn’t remember). They were told a decision would be 1-4 weeks but then got the declined notification within an hour. Feels like kicking them when they’re down.

I am wondering if they were too British and stoic. They aren’t ones to complain and usually try to make the best of things.

They may have been unfortunate, and had a rather unduly harsh assessor. Appeal straight away, is what I would do.

To clarify, the guys double parking, on the yellow lines and pavement have no blue badge, dah
They just want to be by the damn door.

I have seen with my very two eyes the guys parking in the blue badge getting in and out the car and walking with zero issue. Which it does not mean that they are not disabled and nobody challenges that. It just leaves us struggling a bit, with a wheelchair.

I have indeed taken a dislike to this place because of the hassle to park, getting in and out and the attitude of the shoppers, on top of that.
It is only this particular supermarket.
Our council provides BB quickly and efficiently, but if things like what happens in this place start to extend, then I can see issues arising. It could very much be that they are already limiting BB in this particular area.

I am sorry to hear your father did not get his OP. It is really sad indeed.
What about a foldable wheelchair? So he does not get out of breath and still can go out and about with you? If he can get in and out of the car and walk to the back of the car, then you can manage in a normal space, in the meantime you have some space at the back, out of traffic.

Do appeal OP.
We are having delays and issues at every single step too.
My husband has rheumatism, it happened suddenly, and he cannot walk unaided or use his hands normally and is in continous pain. Within 3 months he was in a wheelchair. Yet, you have to push for everything.

I'd like to see an analysis of just how much money councils are spending making it so difficult for people to get blue badges just to stop a few bad actors using them.

I'm so grateful my own council doesn't do that. I'd probably never get one because sod's law says my condition is never active on the days I need to show people I can't walk!

I'd like to see an analysis of just how much money councils are spending making it so difficult for people to get blue badges just to stop a few bad actors using them.

Eh?

I suppose what happens is that they have a maximum number they can give for each area, as there are limited BB spots. And in some areas they are close or above that max.
And there is where people misusing the badges generates problems, for both the users and those waiting to get a badge.

I suppose what happens is that they have a maximum number they can give for each area, as there are limited BB spots. And in some areas they are close or above that max.

I would hope that it does not work that way. There should not be a limited number of badges issued.

So, why the post code differences? In some places they issue them straight away, but others need in person interviews and more. So they are more concerned about who they are issuing the permits in some councils than others and request different levels of proof. Which is not fair.

Different LA have their own standards, for want of a better word. The same could be said when it comes to hospital treatments. They talk about postcode lotteries there. The system is not meant to be fair, imo. All people can do is appeal, in the case of trying to get a BB.