blue badge

julies59

hi iv just found out you dont have to recieve dla to get a blue badge,as long as you cant walk far and have trouble getting up kerbs or steps you can claim,you contact your local council for a pack the cost is £2 and you will get your badge this entitles you to free parking on the road or in a carpark,free congestion charge in london and lots of other parking,they will ask you a few questions when you ring,ie can you walk far without being in pain,or do you have difficulty in getting up steps or do you have troule turning the steering wheel,my local cab told me of this as my husband has arthritus in his spine and knees we applied for the badge and it came this morning,you dont have to be recieving DLA.

SMC_2

Just a word of warning not all councils have this scheme, there are some areas where it is only via DLA that you can get the badge, friend of mine couldn't get one and had to apply for DLA. My parents both have badges without DLA as we are in an area where the council does have the blue badge scheme.

TOBRUK

julies59 wrote: »

and you will get your badge this entitles you to free parking on the road or in a carpark,free congestion charge in london and lots of other parking.

Be very careful with the 'free parking' as it is not always the case! I have a blue badge but as I get DLA high rate mobility and am tax exempt (shows on the disk) I get free parking where others with blue badge without the DLA high rate do not! Some car parks are free if you are tax exempt but not if you don't. Also you need to check with the councils as some do not have free parking for either cases in their car parks.

Not sure whether it is the same with things like congestion charges or toll charges like when you cross from England to Wales - I know I get free toll charge.

It is always worth checking

kazzah

THIS IS DISCRETIONARY................... entirely up to the local issuing authority whether or not they issue the badge
Also do remember that blue badge holders are NOT exempt from recieving a parking fine for parking on double yellow lines or at a meter without paying within the city of WESTMINSTER - don't get caught out- normal blue badge rules do not apply there