Badges are only issued where a condition/disability is permanent or likely to endure for more than three years. Temporary conditions e.g. a broken leg or recovering from an operation, do not qualify for a badge. Also, conditions where the effect of a disability is intermittent in nature are not usually eligible for a Blue Badge.
If you are a Leicestershire resident applying on behalf of someone who does not live in Leicestershire, please start the application at the government Blue Badge website.
Residents of Leicester city should apply to Leicester City Council.
Leicestershire County Council is responsible for administering and enforcing the Blue Badge Scheme for Leicestershire residents, but the qualification criteria are set by central government; there are no discretionary criteria, either locally or nationally.
Whilst the Council would encourage people to apply for a Blue Badge if they genuinely believe they are eligible, under no circumstances should anyone attempt to apply for a badge fraudulently nor will the Council issue a badge to anyone it does not assess as eligible under one or more of the exact qualifying criteria.
Not all disabilities or conditions result in eligibility for a Blue Badge. Disabilities and health conditions can be very varied and the day to day impact can range from mild to very severe, occasional to constant, and therefore a diagnosis of a particular condition on its own may not be sufficient to confirm eligibility for a Blue Badge - we may require further information as to how much and how often a condition affects your ability to undertake a journey.
The Blue Badge eligibility criteria was extended on 30 August 2019 to include the impact of certain non-visible (‘hidden’) disabilities and conditions.
Revised Blue Badge qualification criteria
Type 1: Eligible without further assessment
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 following descriptions:
- Receives the Higher Rate of the Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance (HRMCDLA)
- Receives the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and has obtained 10 points specifically with the descriptor that “You cannot undertake any journey because it would cause you overwhelming psychological distress” in the “planning and following journeys” activity. (Please note that no other points or descriptor result in automatic eligibility. Please see the FAQ relating to having 12 points for this activity, below, for details.)
- Receives the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and has obtained 8 points or more under the “moving around” activity
- Is registered blind (severely sight impaired)
- Receives a War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement (WPMS)
- Has been both awarded a lump sum benefit at tariffs 1-8 of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and certified as having an enduring and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking.
Type 2: Eligible subject to further assessment
People who may be issued with a badge after further assessment are those who are more than two years old and may be described as one or more of the following:
- A person who drives a vehicle regularly, has a severe disability in both arms and is unable to operate, or has considerable difficulty in operating, all or some types of parking meter; or
- A person who has been certified by an expert assessor as having an enduring and substantial disability which causes them, during the course of a journey*, to:
- Be unable to walk (that is, to put “one foot in front of the other”);
- Experience very considerable difficulty whilst walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress; or
- Be at risk of serious harm when walking, or pose, when walking, a risk of serious harm to any other person.
*A journey refers to moving between a vehicle and your destination, e.g. from the car to the shop.
In addition, children under the age of three may be eligible for a badge if they fall within either or both of the following descriptions:
- A child who, due to a condition, must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which cannot be carried around with the child without great difficulty
- A child who, due to a condition, must always be kept near to a motor vehicle so that treatment for that condition can be given in the vehicle if necessary, or the child can be taken quickly in the vehicle to a place where such treatment can be given.
We may ask you to attend an independent assessment if we can't decide from your application form whether you are eligible. It's free and carried out by a qualified professional.
Non-visible conditions (hidden disabilities)
You may be eligible if your condition results in a severe struggle with journeys between a vehicle and your destination. This may include people who:
- are a constant significant risk to themselves or others near vehicles, in traffic or car parks, or
- regularly find it difficult or impossible to control their actions and lack awareness of the impact they could have on others, or
- regularly have intense and overwhelming responses to situations, causing temporary loss of behavioural control, or
- frequently become extremely anxious or fearful of public or open spaces.
Due to the nature of non-visible (hidden) conditions, we will assess your application by looking at your needs and you will be expected to provide evidence, such as a diagnosis letter, medical reports, appointment letters, prescriptions or a care plan.
FAQs about the new blue badge eligibility
What is the new blue badge criteria and how is it different to the previous criteria?
In general, under the old scheme, only people who had physical difficulties qualified for a Blue Badge. The new Blue Badge scheme will also consider those with ‘hidden’ disabilities ie it will include some people with neurological or psychological difficulties (mental health conditions). Only those people who have very significant difficulties will be eligible.
I already have a blue badge – will it affect me when I renew?
Anyone who is currently eligible will continue to be eligible providing that there is no change in their circumstances relating to their conditions or disability. The criteria prior to August 2019 were generally focussed on mobility issues rather than other difficulties and this hasn’t changed – the new criteria simply extend the criteria to potentially include more people.
What benefits will prove automatic eligibility under the new criteria?
At present, 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 following descriptions:
- Receives the Higher Rate of the Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance (HRMCDLA)
- Receives 8 points or more under the “moving around” activity of the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Is registered blind (severely sight impaired)
- Receives a War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement (WPMS)
- Has been both awarded a lump sum benefit at tariffs 1-8 of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and certified as having a permanent and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking.
In addition to this, from 30 August 2019, people who receive 10 points because they “cannot undertake any journey because it would cause them overwhelming psychological distress” (only) under the “Planning and following a journey” activity of the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will be eligible. Please note that people who have 10 points for any other descriptor or 12 points will not be automatically eligible but may be eligible subject to further assessment.
My mother has dementia and gets very confused, will she be able to get a blue badge?
No, she won't automatically be eligible just because of the dementia diagnosis, however she may be eligible subject to further assessment.
People with dementia (or their relatives on their behalf) will need to provide sufficient information to demonstrate that either they have significant physical mobility issues, or that they frequently experience very considerable difficulty when they are walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress, or that they're frequently at serious risk of harm when they're walking.
Please answer all the relevant questions as fully as possible so that we can fully consider the application. We will need confirmation from a healthcare professional regarding the impact of the condition when making a journey (e.g. the level of psychological distress or the actual risk of harm) and the frequency that this happens. Remember, that if your mother is eligible, the badge can only be used when she is in the vehicle.
My 10 year old son has autism and often runs off, will he be able to get a blue badge?
No, he won't automatically be eligible just because of the autism diagnosis, however he may be eligible subject to further assessment. You will need to provide sufficient information to demonstrate that either he has significant physical mobility issues, that he frequently experiences very considerable difficulty when he is walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress, or that he is frequently at serious risk of harm when he is walking.
Please answer all the relevant questions as fully as possible so that we can fully consider the application. We will need confirmation from a healthcare professional regarding the impact of the condition when making a journey (e.g. the level of psychological distress or the actual risk of harm) and the frequency that this happens. Remember, that if your son is eligible, the badge can only be used when he is in the vehicle.
I have epilepsy, will I be able to get a blue badge?
A diagnosis of epilepsy will not result in automatic eligibility for a blue badge. You will need to provide information regarding the frequency of your seizures, whether they are controlled by medication, how a Blue Badge would help you and whether the action of walking brings on a seizure.
What proof will I need to provide?
If you are eligible under the automatic criteria, you will need to provide copies of the relevant benefit letters including the pages that show the number of points you receive, in the case of PIP.
If you are not eligible under the automatic criteria and are applying under hidden disabilities, we will need a formal diagnosis letter or statement from a relevant consultant (or equivalent) and recent information describing your condition in relation to the Blue Badge criteria, including detail of how frequently episodes/events occur and the impact of them.
I have 12 points for the 'Planning and following journeys' activity on my PIP assessment, why am I not automatically eligible?
All councils have to follow the legislation and guidance set out by government. The legislation states that under the “Planning and following journeys” activity, only scoring 10 points with the descriptor that you “cannot undertake any journey because it would cause them overwhelming psychological distress” demonstrates automatic eligibility.
Scoring 10 or 12 points with a descriptor that you “cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar/a familiar journey with another person, an assistance dog or orientation aid” could mean that the presence of another person, assistance dog or orientation aid may be sufficient to reduce psychological distress or risk of harm to levels that are more acceptable and negates the need for a Blue Badge.
The DfT published the results of their consultation on the eligibility changes in July 2018.
The report stated:
The department believes that where people suffer very considerable psychological distress or other difficulty when walking, or have a risk of very considerable harm to their health or safety (including people with dementia), they should be eligible for a badge. However, where the applicant would not go out alone and the presence of another person negates the above mentioned issues, then we do not believe badges should be issued. Needing another person on every journey does not necessarily equate to needing to park nearby.
Person:Consultation report on Blue Badge eligibility changes, Department for TransportPeople who score 10 or 12 points may still apply for a Blue Badge and may be eligible subject to further assessment. Please ignore the PIP questions as you will need to provide further information and evidence.