Disabled parking permit (Blue Badge)

About the Blue Badge scheme

The Blue Badge scheme provides parking concessions to help disabled people travelling either as drivers or passengers to park close to their destinations.

Applying for a badge

Eligibility is considered in terms of being 'eligible without further assessment' or 'eligible subject to further assessment'.

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); is registered blind; or
• receives a War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement (WPMS).

Eligible subject to further assessment

People who would be considered eligible subject to further assessment are those who are more than two years old and fall within one or more of the following descriptions -

• 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;
• is unable to walk or has very considerable difficulty in walking because of a permanent and substantial disability.
• In addition, children under the age of two may be eligible for a badge if they fall within either or both of the following descriptions:
• a child who has a condition that requires that they be always accompanied by bulky medical equipment which cannot be carried around with the childwithout great difficulty;
• a child who has a condition that requires that they must always be kept near a motor vehicle so that they can, if necessary, be treated for that condition in the vehicle or taken quickly in the vehicle to a place where they can be so treated.

Do I need to own a car?

There is no requirement for you to own a vehicle or be able to drive one. The badge is personal to you and can be used in any vehicle in which you are travelling as a passenger, which you have notified your local authority of, if requested.

Will I need to be assessed by a doctor?

If you do not meet one of the "Eligible without further assessment' criteria, such as being in receipt of the higher rate of the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance, your eligibility will need to be assessed by your local authority. The assessment arrangements are for individual authorities to decide but you will be asked to answer a series of questions to help them determine your eligibility. The authority may also ask your permission to seek further information from your doctor or ask you to see an independent health professional, such as a physiotherapist or occupational therapist.

How long are badges issued for?

Most badges are issued for three years only. However, certain exceptions apply and are explained below.

In the case of children under two, the badge will be issued for a maximum period of two years ending on the day immediately following their second birthday.

Where entitlement for a Blue Badge is linked to Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance (HRMCDLA) and War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement (WPMS) the period of issue should be linked to the period of receipt of that allowance, where that period is less than three years.

Where HRMCDLA or WPMS has been granted for a period longer than three years, the badge can still only be issued for the maximum three year period. The badge should continue to be reviewed on a three yearly cycle.

Why can't badges be issued for life?

Issuing badges for a maximum three year period allows local authorities the opportunity to re-assess badge holders when their badges expire to ensure that they continue to meet the eligibility criteria and are therefore in need of a badge. Although a badge holder may still have the same disability, it is possible that their degree of disability may have improved to such an extent that they no longer meet the eligibility criteria. Where a badge holder has a permanent disability which will not change (e.g. where there has been loss of limbs), the opportunity to renew the badge allows the local authority to ensure that the holder's personal details, such as their address, are unchanged.

There is no right of appeal against a local authority's decision to refuse a blue badge, but an unsuccessful applicant may ask the authority to reconsider the case if they feel that their mobility problems have become more serious or if they think that all the relevant facts were not taken into consideration at the time of the assessment.

Organisations caring for disabled people meeting the above criteria may be able to get a badge, but this is entirely at our discretion.

Where can I park and when should I display the clock?

Information about where you can park in Hackney with your Blue Badge and Companion Badge and when to display the clock is shown in the following table.

* You can park on yellow lines unless there is a ban on loading and unloading or you are causing an obstruction. You can stay for up to three hours and once you've finished you can't return to the same road for an hour.

Companion Badges

The Council also operates a 'Companion Badge' scheme for Blue Badge holders who live and park in Hackney, which is designed to provide eligible residents with improved protection against Blue Badge theft. Find out more about Companion Badges. 

More information 

If you would like more information on Blue Badges, please complete our Blue Car Badge enquiry form or contact our Mobility team using the details below at the top-right of this page. 

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Page updated: 1 Jun 2011