To be really fed up by the blue badge renewal process

[Bourdic]

I have a progressive disability which impacts on my mobility. Every three years I have to apply renew my badge. My condition can never go into remission or stabilise but can only get worse and worse. Because the government has a target of reducing blue badges, at each renewal the form becomes increasingly complicated and has many what I regard as really weasley questions that I’m sure are designed with a ‘gotcha’ in mind. There are also many yes / no questions when the answer is often yes but or no but. There is not always a box for free text answers either. I have spent hours yesterday and today completing the form, uploading proof of address, identity ( all have to be certified). I can’t bear the thought of losing the badge but I’m also feeling tearful at being reminded yet again of all the things I can’t do and how this can only get worse. And the people wonder why I get so bloody mad at the misuse of blue badge spaces.Moan over an£ fingers crossed

Moan away. It's shitty.

It is so shitty. It's like the PIP and ESA process, reminding you just how low you are and bad it is. And meeting their ridiculous ever changing criteria, rather than laying out your own needs. I decided against applying even though I'm on highest PIP and support ESA, not worth the impact on my mental health for only a few times a year, although I really could have used one today as the longer walk to hospital has left me in a lot more pain than I would be!

You might be sorry you said that 😄. OK another example - a question about whether your condition can improve but not one on will it get worse.DH and I had to go out in the freezing cold this morning with a stop watch to time how long it took me to walk 40 yards. Then there was a question about how far I could walk comfortably from my home to a local point that could be found on a street map.WTAF. Well apart from the fact that I can’t walk comfortably anywhere ......

Gold mine is a true lifeline - my world would shrink without it unbearably. But I understand not wanting to apply - but is the form any simpler if you’re on a sort of passport benefit like highest PIP?

My mum has just had to 're do here. She feels the same as you. It is a shit form to complete and I totally agree that it's be designed to catch people out.

I just renewed mine and i am sure it wasn't that complicated before it is basically reapplying where before I am sure I just filled in a re new section.

I get mine automatically as I am on enhanced PIP - are you?

I managed to unearth from the internet (quite legitimately) the guidance given to las about awarding blue badges. It was truly truly chilling but I’ve noticed this year that there is an even bigger gap between what you need to demonstrate to meet the guidance and the format of the questions which seems designed to stop you doing exactly that. One of the reasons in the guidance for wanting to reduce the number of blue badges awarded is the general shortage of parking spaces - as we say you couldn’t make it up

Yes that’s what I was thinking of - that some can get it automatically( quite rightly) but the category covering people like me with walking difficulties has got harder and harder.

I wonder if it diiffers between councils I used to get my renewed not automatically but a letter to say it was needed re newed this time i noticed it was nearly out of date and had to go through the application process again.

Personally in my area I have never seen so many blue badges. It is nigh on impossible to find a space. I had even wondered if the criteria had been loosened.

The guidance also says (I paraphrase bitterly but not much) is that walking outside can be ever so much more difficult (cambers,inclines, uneven payments, cobbles) than walking inside but hey never mind just do an inside walking test and extrapolate from that 😠

I have heard it is much harder to get the blue badge on it's own rather than getting the mobility section of enhanced PIP (disclaimer anecdotes only)

MrsJayy my guess would be that the forms are very similar or that at the very least the government produces one as a ‘model’ which las can than use themselves.

I have not even bothered to apply for one for my OH who has PD. Some days he cannot walk to the toilet, and others he can walk down the road and back. I am sue they would turn him down.

But what am I supposed to do when for example he has to get to the dentist (no parking spaces there) on a bad day? I drop him outside and go and park the car miles away, praying that he will not fall over on the way to the lift.

I Just renewed mine (automatic as high mobility) normal you fill in form turn up at council and they did. Not now. It’s all on line in one place. It nearly killed me! I do everything on line so hardly have problem with technology. It’s Gov page so what do we expect? Crash after crash so gave up for few weeks. Then kept telling me digital pictures of documents and letters were to big. Then wanted copy of all pages of PIp letter (12) even though 2 page summary has name details and NI.

Then took 5 weeks to come back after it finally went through. I don’t know how older or those less skilled will cope.

Oh and it wanted PIp award dates in last 6m which mine happened to be. But I have long award so when BB runs out in 4y I will not have correct paper work to get another. Do they think DWP write to you every 6m confirming awards? The system is designed make it impossible!

More empathy from here; I reapplied (successfully, thank God) before Christmas & really struggled with the whole palaver, too. Thankfully I had a recent Consultant's meeting letter which did the trick in the end, but it took a total of 2 weeks for me to complete everything - it's bad enough to complete complex forms when you're 100%, but with physical limitations & brain fog, it's so much harder.
Good luck to everyone (genuine!) who is applying!

Its a different system for different councils so depends where you live. Just received mine. A very brief form and a phone interview for me.

Akire I’m expecting some comeback re uploaded photo, documents etc. I’m very computer literate and found navigating and completing the form an utter nightmare. Whilst it allows you to save, it will only save pages that have been completely filled in when I filled in section 7 ( free text box) that wasn’t saved as I hadn’t finished all of that page. Also because I am neurotic about losing part completed online forms, I printed off last night the pages I had completed so far and the free text in section 4 just did not print at all. I had to go back 8n and do a cut and paste into Word

With my council you apply online and get a letter advising if you've been successful
You then have to go to the community hub to have your photo taken proof of id and pay your £20 - every single damn year. It's ridiculous

jelly obviously you may not want to answer this but is yours awarded on one of the mandatory criteria or on severe walking difficulties? If the latter, I am going to move

Red every year😮? £20?

Our county council wanted DH to travel to another town which hes not well enough to do so he told them to forget it. Now instead of buying big ticket items in the town because he cant park where he needs to he orders online. So the retailer loses as well.

Ds gets his automatically now because of dla hrm but for the previous one I wrote loads on separate sheets of paper because the form didn't cover his difficulties. We have got that again when he switches to PIP because he probably won't get enough points in the moving around category.

I've just helped my mum do her renewal. It only took about 15 minutes to fill in the form. No trick questions. She got her badge two weeks later.