Blue Badge

I hope they don't spoil what is one of the only good things in place for people who need a bit of leeway with parking.

You don’t have to drive or even own a car to be given a Blue Badge. My mother has one for when we take her out. In London, at least , they are really tightening up on issuing them.

I will only get mine if the powers that be believe me about the amount of pain I have walking. I can walk with my stick but getting round town is a real problem as the pain gets worse and I get slower and slower. Steps and kerbs are a problem, as is rough terrain or uneven pavements.

I have something called Regional Sympathetic Dystrophy, which basically means that the nerves are not functioning properly in my foot.

The application went to the LA along with scans of the info they wanted, and then it goes off to some private outsource for adjudication. I will fight it if I do not get it.

DH is registered blind as he has no peripheral vision but can see quite well straight ahead so long as nobody jostles him. We often get strange looks when he gets out of the car because he has no mobility problems. He hates unfamiliar car parks so the Blue Badge is a lifeline or he probably wouldn't get out of the car.

So true glamma my friend who is in her fiftys and her husband have a BB each she has multiple health issues but can walk shrt distances he has rheumatoid arthritis and she drives their DLA car.
She was challenged by an older lady as she got out the car, for parking in a BB space on the High St.
My friend (who dosen't mince her words) when asked if she had a BB replied "Yes, we have two of the bu**ers" and waved them at her

Okay kitty I didn’t mean to nag/preach I just wanted to say that being on dialysis isn’t what people imagine it to be ( it certainly wasn’t how I thought) . It’s a living nightmare .

kitty I find the people with the "hidden" disabilities have such a hard time when they display their BBs.
You can see people watching them park and wait for them to display the BB you can then see the look of horror on their faces when the BB owner "seems" to be able bodied.

But, gilly, in my opinion he doesn't currently need one where lots of other people would find their lives hugely improved if they could get one for 'hidden' disabilities.

I have had a blue badge since 1970 (it was orange in those days) and I received it because I was on a certain benefit, Mobility Allowance, since changed to Disabled Living Allowance at the higher level. Because of this allowance, I am entitled to free road tax for my car. My complaint, which is not for myself, is that any person, who is over 65, when they start to receive this allowance, will not be entitled to free road tax. A blue badge, yes, but not free tax. This seems to be very unfair, as a lot of people don't become disabled enough until after the age of 65. I feel that this rule needs to be looked at and amended. Having the free road tax enables me to park free in Council Car Parks and more importantly, at hospitals. There is something very unfair, here.

My OH applied online and simply went to the local library to have his application approved, have his photo taken and pay £10.00 (I think it was). The BB arrived within days and was granted for a 3 year period. I'm not so sure it will be so seamless when it comes to reapplying, but it's made a vast difference for his independence.

I got a BB for my mother, who doesn't get any disability payments. She is 90yo and is not very mobile due to arthritis.

It was quick and easy from the council. She doesn't drive herself. but it's a boon when friends or I take her out.

Temporary BBs are available in Scotland. I discovered this when I was waiting (in England), in a lot of pain, for almost a year, for a hip replacement. A friend is now in the same position, but her waiting time is, mercifully, much shorter.

It does make a huge difference to anyone who is struggling, for whatever reason.

Your friends DH is very lucky kitty . Long may it continue but sadly I doubt it will . I regularly visited and sometimes accompanied my mum on Dialysis . Until you have seen with your own eyes what these poor people go through no one can quite understand . It takes ages to get the needles in place ( and it’s excruciatingly painful ) and it often takes hours to even stop the bleeding after a very long and tiring session . Patients regularly faint ( as the blood falls dangerously low) they are nauseous...... I could go on . Suffice to say it’s hearbreaking watching someone you love going through it 3-4 times a week for their whole life .

Sorry don't mean to preach though

After a long wait (and a couple of phone calls to our local council as our application seemed to have gone astray!) I now have a BB relating to my husband who is now using a wheelchair daily. What a difference it makes to us and I'm sure to many others. I get annoyed when I hear people making accusations that "they are not needing one". I think if you have filled in the form and meet the criteria it is no-one's business why you need one.

You should be able to use it at anytime if the badge holder is with you in the car however you would not be able to use it if for example he was in hospital and you were visiting him.

DS has a blue badge and I use it anywhere that I take him. it allows parking in disabled places in car parks (not free though) and any where that isn't causing a nuisance or is used for loading.

My friend's husband is still quite fit and, apart from occasional tiredness, can carry on life fairly normally - he is nothing like as bad as your mum was gilly by the sound of it.

I think so, but the rules seem rather patchy at times.

Hi, on blue badges, could someone answer a question for me? I am going to visit my father tomorrow to take him for a hospital visit on Monday. He has a blue badge that allows long stay parking in certain parking places in the town (he doesn't have any parking place or car any more himself). I will drive from the parking location to pick him up from his house on Monday. As the purpose of my visit is to help him, would I be entitled to use the blue badge to park over the weekend?

Hazbeen there’s a bit of a problem with that, we were asked for it once and couldn’t produce it as it was needed to be displayed in the car for the parking! Bonkers.

Supported by a letter from our GP we received our blue badge last year, we are not on any benefits at all, live in the London area.

My daughter has one ,she has multiple health problems and has severe mobility issues.She wanted hers so she can take her girls out and park close to where they want to be.Parking at the opposite end of the high street to the swimming pool and walking wasn't possible for her.
She got a lot of flack from folk about it though ,because she's young,not 40,and overweight..steroids .I just wish people would think before they rant at someone who obviously needed the BB or she wouldn't have got it .

We applied to our county council for my aunt's blue badge. Filled everything in on line and provided some information from her doctor. Pretty straightforward.

As flexible says I thought you had to apply to your council. That's how mum got hers.
There is a big debate on a local page of FB about the changes. I won't be applying for DS but I'm wondering on the criteria for those applying on mental health groubds.

Good luck luckygirl I hope you receive yours swiftly.

I could have done with one last year when I had really bad mobility problems but apparently temporary blue badges are not available. I just had to hope that the parking space was wide enough to open the car door as fully as possible so I could get out - getting in wasn't quite so bad. I still have mobility problems but they're not as bad thankfully