Who can get a Blue Badge

Blue badge holders must be Leicestershire resident and meet certain criteria in order to make an application.

Residents of Leicester city should apply to Leicester City Council.

 

Badges are only issued where a condition / disability is permanent or likely to continue for more than three years.

Temporary conditions such as a broken leg or recovering from an operation, do not qualify for a badge; strokes and heart attacks require a period of recover and recuperation before consideration is made for a badge. Also, conditions where the effect of a disability is intermittent in nature are not usually eligible.

Eligibility

Not all disabilities or conditions result in eligibility for a Blue Badge, please see the criteria below to understand if you can make an application.

Eligible without further assessment

You qualify for a Blue Badge if you’re over three years old and at least one of the following applies, you: 

  • receive the higher rate of the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
  • receive the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and have 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
  • receive a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) as you can’t walk more than 50 meters and have obtained 8 points or more under the ‘moving around’ activity 
  • are registered blind (severely sight impaired)
  • receive a War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement (WPMS)
  • have been awarded both a lump sum benefit at tariffs 1-8 of the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation) Scheme and certified as having a permanent and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking

Eligible subject to further assessment

You may qualify for a Blue Badge if one or more of the following applies, you:

  • drive regularly and have a severe disability in both arms and unable to operate all or some types of parking meter
  • cannot walk at all or without help from someone else or by using mobility aids 
  • experience difficulty whilst walking due to pain, breathlessness or the time it takes you
  • are at risk of harm when walking 
    • struggle severely with journeys between a vehicle and your destination
    • are a constant significant risk to themselves or others near vehicles, in traffic or car parks
    • find it difficult or impossible to control your actions and lack awareness of the impact they could have on others
    • regularly have intense and overwhelming responses to situations, causing temporary loss of behavioural control
    • frequently become extremely anxious or fearful of public or open spaces
    • are a child under the age of three with a medical condition which means they:
      • always need to be accompanied by bulky medical equipment
      • must always be kept near to a vehicle in case they need medical treatment

    Further details on Who can get a Blue Badge