Access Henfield - Blue badge information

A Blue Badge will help you to park close to your destination, either as a passenger or driver.

The badge is intended for on-street parking only.

Off-street car parks, such as those provided by shopping centres, hospitals or supermarkets are covered by separate rules.

The concessions may be different in other parts of the UK outside England. Check with the relevant authority in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Your responsibilities as a Blue Badge holder

You must use the Blue Badge properly. The badge and its concessions are for your use only.

It is a criminal offence for you or anyone else to misuse the badge. Doing so could lead to a £1,000 fine and confiscation of the badge. Making sure that the scheme is not abused will benefit genuine badge holders, such as yourself.

If you are using the parking concessions as a passenger, it is your responsibility to make sure that the driver is aware of all the rules set out in this guidance.

You must never give the badge to friends or family to allow them to have the benefit of the parking concessions. You must never use a copied badge to park or try to change the details on a badge.

The badge remains the property of the issuing local council. They can ask for the badge to be returned if it is being misused.

Who can use the badge?

The badge is for your use and benefit only. It must only be displayed if you are travelling in the vehicle as a driver or passenger, or if someone is collecting you or dropping you off and needs to park at the place where you are being collected or dropped.

Don’t allow other people to use the badge to do something on your behalf, such as shopping or collecting something for you.

You must never give the badge to friends or family to allow them to park for free, even if they are visiting you.
You should not use the badge to allow non-disabled people to take advantage of the benefits while you sit in the car.
It’s a criminal offence to misuse a badge. This includes people other than the badge holder taking advantage of the parking concessions provided under the scheme.

How to display the badge

You must display the badge on the dashboard or facia panel, where it can be clearly read through the front windscreen. If there is no dashboard or facia panel in your vehicle, you must display the badge in a place where it can be clearly read from outside the vehicle. The front of the badge should face upwards, showing the hologram. The side showing the photograph should not be visible through the windscreen.

You must also ensure that the details on the front of the badge remain legible. If they become unreadable through fading or wear and tear, you must return the badge to your local council so they can issue you with a new one. Displaying a badge that is illegible may result in a parking fine.

Blind people need to ensure that people displaying the badge or clock on their behalf understand how to display them correctly. Incorrect display of the badge may result in a parking fine or a penalty charge notice.

When you need to use a parking clock

When you park on yellow lines or in other places where there is a time restriction, you need to display the blue parking clock to show your time of arrival. The clock should be sent to you together with the Blue Badge. If not, you can get a clock from the same council that issued the badge.

If you need to use a parking clock, you must display it on the vehicle’s dashboard or facia panel, so that the time can be seen clearly through the front windscreen. The clock should be set to show the quarter hour period during which you arrived. If there is no dashboard or facia panel in your vehicle, you must still display the clock in a place where it can be clearly read from outside the vehicle.

Power to inspect and retain the badge

Police officers, traffic wardens, parking attendants and civil enforcement officers have the power to inspect the badge. These people should produce an identity card with their photograph on it to prove they are who they say they are. However, Civil Enforcement Officers are allowed to operate in plain clothes.

If any of these people ask to see the badge, you must show it to them. If you do not, you will be breaking the law and you could be fined up to £1,000. Enforcement officers also have right to retain the badge, without police presence, if they have reasonable grounds to do so.

Reapplying for a badge

You should reapply for a new badge from your local council some weeks before it runs out.

You can do this via the GOV.UK website.

Returning the badge

You must return the badge securely to your local council if:

the badge has expired
your medical condition or mobility improves and you are no longer eligible
a replacement badge has been issued for one that is lost or stolen and the original is found / recovered - then the original badge must be returned
the badge becomes damaged or faded and is illegible
the badge is no longer required, for example should you be confined to the house

Please also note that the badge should be returned to the issuing council on the death of the badge holder. If you continue to display the badge when you no longer need it you may be fined up to £1,000.

People who automatically get a Blue Badge

You automatically qualify for a Blue Badge if you are aged 3 or over and at least one of the following applies:

you receive the higher rate of the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
you receive a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) because you can’t walk more than 50 metres (a score of 8 points or more under the ‘moving around’ activity of the mobility component)
you are registered blind (severely sight impaired)
you receive a War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement
you have received a lump sum benefit within tariff levels 1 to 8 of the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation) Scheme and have been certified as having a permanent and substantial disability that causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking
you receive the mobility component of PIP and have obtained 10 points specifically for descriptor E under the ‘planning and following journeys’ activity, on the grounds that you are unable to undertake any journey because it would cause you overwhelming psychological distress

If you have any score other than 10 points under descriptor E, in the ‘planning and following journeys’ activity of PIP you may still be eligible for a Blue Badge, but you do not automatically qualify. This includes if you have a higher score of 12. You will have to provide evidence to demonstrate your eligibility which will be assessed as part of your application.

People who may get a Blue Badge

You may be eligible for a badge if one or more of the following applies:

you cannot walk at all
you cannot walk without help from someone else or using mobility aids
you find walking very difficult due to pain, breathlessness or the time it takes
walking is dangerous to your health and safety
you have a life limiting illness, which means you cannot walk or find walking very difficult and have a SR1 form
you have a severe disability in both arms and drive regularly, but cannot operate pay-and-display parking machines
you have a child under the age of 3 with a medical condition that means the child always needs to be accompanied by bulky medical equipment
you have a child under the age of 3 with a medical condition that means the child must always be kept near a vehicle in case they need emergency medical treatment
you are constantly a significant risk to yourself or others near vehicles, in traffic or car parks
you struggle severely to plan or follow a journey
you find it difficult or impossible to control your actions and lack awareness of the impact you could have on others
you regularly have intense and overwhelming responses to situations causing temporary loss of behavioural control
you frequently become extremely anxious or fearful of public/open spaces

Your local council will decide if you are eligible for a badge. They cannot start the assessment process until they have all the necessary evidence. It may take 12 weeks or longer to assess your application. If they decide that you are not eligible and you think that they did not take account of all the facts, you can ask them to consider your application again.

What you need to apply for a Blue Badge

You will need to provide:

proof of identity
proof of address
a recent head and shoulders digital photo
your national insurance number (if you have one)
contact details (phone number, email and postal address)

To prove your identity, you can provide a copy of either:

birth or adoption certificate
passport
driving licence
marriage or civil partnership certificate
divorce or dissolution certificate

To prove your address, you can provide a copy of either:

a recent council tax bill
a recent letter from a government department such as Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
driving licence
a recent letter from a school (if you are under 16)

Providing proof of benefits

Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

You’ll need to know the scores from the mobility assessment and the award end date (if applicable). You’ll also be asked to provide proof of the PIP award. This would be the 3 pages from the letter from DWP, which clearly shows:

entitlement to PIP (front page)
assessment scores (second to last page)
mobility scores (last page)

Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

You’ll need to know which rate of the mobility component you receive and the award end date (if applicable). You’ll also be asked to provide proof of the DLA award. This should be the most recent letter from DWP, which clearly shows:

mobility rating
certificate of entitlement to DLA
the date of the letter

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

You’ll be asked to provide proof of the benefit. This should be the most recent letter from the Ministry of Defence, which clearly shows that you:

were injured in service on or after 6 April 2005
have been awarded a benefit by the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, with a lump sum payment within Tariffs 1 to 8
are certified as having a permanent, substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking

War Pensioners’ Mobility Scheme

You’ll be asked to provide proof of the benefit. This should be the most recent letter from the Ministry of Defence, which clearly shows that the applicant:

was injured in service before 6 April 2005
is in receipt of a War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement

Proof of eligibility

If you are applying without one of the benefits, the application will need to be assessed by the issuing local council. To help assess the application, you’ll be asked to provide extra information depending on the answers you give when you are checking eligibility.

If you cannot walk or find walking difficult or you have a non-visible (hidden) condition, you will be asked to provide details of any:

relevant medication that is taken
relevant treatments that you receive or are due to receive
healthcare or associated professionals that have been involved with the treatment of your condition

You will be asked if you want to upload supporting documents. This could be prescriptions, diagnosis letters or correspondence between professionals that treat your condition.

If you cannot walk or find walking difficult, you will also be asked questions around how your condition affects your walking.

If you have a non-visible (hidden) condition, you will also be asked questions around how journeys between your vehicle and destination are affected by your condition.

How you can provide documents

When you are applying online, you’ll be able to upload a photo or scan of:

proof of benefit
proof of address
proof of identity
supporting documents

You can also upload a recent digital photo. Just make sure the photos or scans are good quality and include all of the relevant information.

If you are applying on a mobile or tablet device, you can take a photo of the required documents and upload within the application itself.

You can choose not to upload the documents when you’re applying. If you do this you’ll need to supply copies of the documents to the local council. Find out how to contact your local council.

Instead, if you receive one of these benefits, you can still apply and your application will be assessed by your local council.

Blue Badges for organisations

An organisation may be eligible for a badge (or multiple badges), if they both:

care for or assist people who need a Blue Badge
transport people who need a Blue Badge

The issuing local council will decide whether the organisation has a clear need for an organisational badge rather than using the individual badges of the people it is transporting. An organisational badge must only be displayed when someone who would be eligible for a Blue Badge in their own right is being transported.

Common examples of organisations that may be eligible include residential care homes, hospices or local council social services departments. It is unlikely that taxi or private hire operators and community transport operators would be eligible for an organisational Blue Badge as they are not usually concerned with the care of disabled people.

Related guidance

Blue Badges: your rights and responsibilities

The way a Blue Badge can be used differs in England, Scotland and Wales:

Google Sites

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