Help with travel

Apply for or renew a Blue Badge

The Blue Badge Scheme provides a national arrangement of parking concessions for people with severe mobility problems to access goods and services, by allowing them to park close to their destination.

The scheme is open to eligible disabled people irrespective of whether they are travelling as a driver or as a passenger.

ULEZ

Unfortunately the blue badge team are unable to deal with any enquires relating to ULEZ as this is a Transport for London (TfL) scheme.

For more information go to to the TfL website ULEZ page (Opens in new tab)

Eligibility

Automatic qualification

You may qualify for a blue badge automatically if you:

are in receipt of the Higher Rate of the Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance
are registered blind
receive a War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement
have 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
are in receipt of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) under the 'Moving Around' category, have been awarded 8 points or more, and your condition is likely to last for at least 12 months
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.

Other eligibility

You may still qualify if you:

have a permanent an enduring disability, and suffer very considerable difficulty whilst walking
experience very considerable difficulty whilst walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress, which includes:
- struggling to plan or follow a journey
- regularly has intense and overwhelming responses to situations causing temporary loss of behavioural control
- frequently becomes extremely anxious or fearful of public or open spaces
are at risk or serious harm when walking; or pose when walking, a risk of serious harm to any other person
drive a motor vehicle regularly, have a severe disability in both arms, and are unable to operate all or some types of parking meter (or would find it very difficult to operate them)
have a child under three years of age and need to transport bulky medical equipment for urgent treatment, or be near a vehicle so that they can be driven to a place for treatment for a permanent illness.

Your blue badge application

The application process

The application is completed on the GOV.UK website
Make a note of the things you'll need before applying
You'll be asked to check your eligibility and answer questions about your disability as you fill in the application form
Once filled in your details will be sent to us to process.
You will be asked to send us all the documents stated in your application within 14 days of filling in the form. Please note your application will not be completed until we have received your certified copy documents which you can upload by using our online form (Opens in new tab). You can also post them to: Blue Badges, Town Hall, Main Road, Romford RM1 3BB
Once we have your documents we will make contact with you about the next steps to take including payment.

Support for your application

To complete your blue badge application you will need:

proof of identification
your national insurance number
details of your current blue badge (if you have one)
to upload a photo of yourself, if you are applying online
to attach a signed photo, if you are applying by application form
proof of residency
supporting documentation

In addition to your medical evidence you can also submit a copy of your DWP award letter which may help with your assessment.

Please ensure you attach or send all pages of your award letter.

There are computers available for public use at these locations.

Public libraries around the borough - various opening times
Peabody - please call 01708 776770

You can support your application by:

attaching scanned photos of your documents to your online Gov.uk application
attaching scanned photos of your documents through our scan upload form on our website (Opens in new tab)
by posting certified copies to Customer Services, Town Hall, Main Road, RM1 3BB

Guidance notes

Apply or renew now

Please note if you are renewing, please apply 6 to 8 weeks prior to your existing badge expiring to make sure your new badge reaches you in time if approved.

Start your Blue Badge application or renewal now

Once a Blue Badge application is approved and payment had been received, the Blue Badge will be produced by a central agency, and posted directly to the badge holder's home address.

The badge holder can expect to receive the Blue Badge approximately 10 working days after the application is approved.

Updates on your application

We normally respond to blue badge applications and correspondence within 28 days of receipt.

This can take longer during busy periods and sometimes there are delays in us receiving your application.

All applications and correspondence are dealt with in the order they are received via online and email. The only exception is if the applicant has a life limiting illness. These are treated as a priority.

If you have submitted application/correspondence and you have not heard from us within 28 working days, you can fill out our form below. Before doing so please check your email junk mail in case our response has been sent there by your email client.

Fill out our Blue Badge update form

Using your Blue Badge

The badge may only be used when the badge holder is driving or being transported in the vehicle.

It may not be used by a friend, relative or helper even when providing a service for the disabled badge holder such as shopping unless the badge holder is travelling with them.

When the badge is used, it must be clearly displayed together with the clock on the dashboard of the vehicle, with the front (showing the wheelchair user symbol) facing outwards, so that the expiry date, serial number and issuing authority are easily visible through the windscreen.

Before using the blue badge please read the rights and responsibilities leaflet (Opens in new tab) issued with your badge so that you know where and how to use it correctly.

If you get a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) because of the way you have parked but you feel it has been issued incorrectly, you can challenge it.

Using your Blue Badge in our Borough and our Council operated car parks

Blue Badge holders must pay for parking unless the vehicle is exempt from road tax and has a tax classification of 'Disabled' in which case three hours free parking is allowed with normal charges applying after three hours.

Please check all signs in each individual car parks as rules in each location may vary

Badge holders cannot:

park in loading bays within the restricted period (as signed)
on loading restrictions within the restricted period (as signed or shown by the kerb markings)
park in a dedicated disabled parking bay (as denoted by with a Permit number on the nearby Sign plate)
in an obstructive manner

Badge holders can:

park in resident parking bays for free for an unlimited time
park for free for an unlimited time at on-street pay and display bays
park in disabled bays that don’t have a time limit for free unlimited time
park in 3 hour maximum stay disabled bays for 3 hours

In all instances, a valid Disabled persons parking badge and clock must be clearly displayed in the windscreen of the vehicle.

EU disabled badge scheme

The European Union disabled badge scheme is fully recognised in Havering and all EU badge holders have the same parking rights as UK Blue badge holders.

Disabled badges from outside the EU vary in design and it is hard to verify their authenticity.

For this reason, we do not accept disabled badges from outside the EU.

Lost or stolen Blue Badge

If your Blue Badge has been lost or stolen please complete the below online form.

Blue Badge lost and stolen form

Report misuse of a Blue Badge

If you see a badge being misused in any way then please complete our online form.

Report misuse of a Blue Badge

Blue Badge data retention

Please be aware all information and documents provided to support your application for a Blue Badge will be retained in accordance with our retention policy for a minimum of three years.

Please note the Blue Badge Service uses contracted outside companies and by making an application you are also consenting to the sharing of your information with the companies concerned to undertake the Blue Badge Service within the Department of Transport Policy and Guidance.

Read our full privacy and data policy

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