Blue Badge holders are suggested to renew their badges at least eight weeks in advance to ensure that their new badge is obtained on time.
Nevertheless, delays in the program imply that some Blue Badge holders are not getting their new badge prior to their old one particular expires.
Michael Jones* applied for a renewal to his Blue Badge on November 4.
The 68-12 months-outdated has a heart issue and cannot stroll with no the use of two sticks.
He is reliant upon disabled parking spaces to do issues this kind of as visit Nationwide Believe in web sites, with no which “by the time we had got from the standard automobile park to the attribute itself I would have carried out all the strolling I could handle.”
His blue badge expired on December ten. Eight weeks on, however, he has even now not acquired notification of his disability assessment and is concerned that he may possibly be unable to use his car.
He explained: “When it was receiving to inside about a fortnight of expiry, I went down to the regional office that concerns them and they mentioned we do not any longer. They stated it had been nationalised, limited and privatised.
“I was advised that they didn’t know extended it would get but that I must be prepared for a extended wait.
“She stated your badge will undoubtedly expire ahead of your case is assessed.”
He extra: “If they make a decision that I’m not sufficiently disabled then honest sufficient.
“What is wrong is that they consider it away from me and then fail to fulfil their responsibilities on time.”
Andy Pike, Policy and Campaigns Officer at the Royal Nationwide Institute of Blind People (RNIB) said: “A lot of disabled folks in the United kingdom rely on the blue badge scheme to be capable to go shopping, take part in social routines and reside an independent daily life.
“Delays in renewing applications that probably depart disabled people trapped at house are unacceptable and need to be urgently looked at.”
No one particular at the Division for Transport was accessible for comment.
The Blue Badge Scheme was introduced in the early 1970s, but issues have been raised in the late 2000s that it was currently being abused by people who have been not disabled.
The government determined to revamp the scheme and crackdown on abuse, printing the badges with anti-fraud holograms and shifting tests for eligibility from councils to GPs.
Councils have because been granted the electrical power to seize badges that are currently being utilised fraudulently.
The newest official statistics recommend that as a lot of as a fifth of the 2.62 million badges in circulation could be becoming misused.
*Name modified to protect identity
Disabled drivers face prospect of dropping their blue badges due to delays in disability assessments, it is claimed
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