Helpful information when applying for and using a Blue European Parking Badge.

The Blue European Parking Badge Scheme is a national scheme for people who are registered blind, cannot walk or have severe difficulty in walking.  The parking badge is intended to help those who would be physically unable to visit public buildings, shops and other places unless allowed to park close to their destination.  Blue Badges can be granted to both adults and children.  Blue Badges can be granted to drivers or to people who are passengers and who do not drive.

The European Blue Parking Badge Scheme is administered by Fife Council on behalf of the Scottish Executive in accordance with The Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2007 which came into force on 01 April 2007

The scheme enables badge holders to park closer to the places they wish to visit, on some single and double yellow lines and provides free car parking in some car parks. 

Badges are available to both individuals or to organisations but can only be issued when an application form is completed.  They can be used either by drivers or passengers in vehicles, but can only be used when the badge holder is present.  They should not be left on display in the vehicle when not in use.

You must complete an application form, providing details of your disability or any benefits which mean that you can qualify automatically

You can visit your Local Services Centre to collect a form or to get help to complete an application.

You can telephone 08451 550066 and have a form sent out to you or to ask for help or advice when you are completing the form.  A large print version of the application form is also available.

You can print an application form from www.fifedirect.org.uk, Fife Council’s web site.

You can e-mail a question or request an application form by e-mail from European.ParkingBadges@fife.gov.uk

Please do not come to Fife House with a blue badge enquiry as Fife House is not a Services Centre and staff based there are not available to the public. If you call at Fife House with an enquiry, you will be redirected to the nearest Local Services Centre at Albany House, Albany Gate, Glenrothes.

You can e-mail it (with a scanned signature, proof and photographs) to European.ParkingBadges@fife.gov.uk

Or hand in the completed form to your Local Services Centre

Or complete the form and post it to:

Blue Badge Administration,

Performance & Organisational Support, 

Fife Council,

Fife House,

North Street,

Glenrothes, KY7 5LT

Alternative Formats:

We can contact the Scottish Executive to have the information leaflet provided with the badge giving guidance for its use sent to individuals in large print, Braille or audio tape format.  We can provide large print copies of the application form if requested. 

Please do not come to Fife House with a blue badge enquiry as Fife House is not a Services Centre and staff based there are not available to the public. If you call at Fife House with an enquiry, you will be redirected to the nearest Local Services Centre at Albany House, Albany Gate, Glenrothes.

It is the badge holder's responsibility to apply for another badge before their current one expires so you must arrange to get an application form to apply for a new badge around 6-8 weeks before the expiry date. 

As a courtesy, Fife Council used to send out letters inviting blue badge holders to reapply for a new badge.  These letters will no longer be sent out from 1st January 2010.  The majority of other Local Authorities in Scotland do not send such letters.

Please see the questions above for details of how to get a form and help to complete it.

·        A letter from the Benefits Agency, dated within the last 12 months, telling you that you will be paid the Higher Rate of Disability Allowance for Getting Around, mobility component, (not the care component) showing the date on which this is due for renewal or the date to which it is due to be paid.

·        A letter showing that you are in receipt of Motability Allowance to buy a car and also showing the date on which this will cease.

·        A letter confirming that you have a War Pension – but only if it says that you have a Mobility Supplement paid along with your War Pension.  This should also show when this is due for renewal or the date to which this is due to be paid and be dated within the last 12 months.

Please note that your proof must be dated within the last 12 months and show that you will be in receipt of the relevant benefit for longer than 12 months from the date of application.  If the only proof you have is for a period shorter than 12 months we will contact you for further information so that we can assess your application under the discretionary category.

If you take your form into your Local Services Centre they will copy your proof and return it to you there and then. 

If you are posting your form you can send a copy of your proof: it does not have to be the original and it will be returned to you.

If you e-mail your application you can scan and send your proof with your application.

Copies of your proof can be obtained from: 

Road Tax (Vehicle Excise) Exemption Certificates – Phone Number:

DVLA Helpline 0870-240-6281

DLA Helpline Phone Number:  08457-123-456.

If you do not receive any of these but have a severe disability causing an inability to walk or very severe difficulty in walking you may still be awarded a badge even if you do not have one of the benefits.  You must fill in the second and third page of the application form and should provide full details of your disability and how this affects your walking ability.

The more information you provide about your disability the easier it will be to assess your application.  Please provide an estimate of how far you can walk without stopping, severe discomfort or help from another person.  Please give this in metres (or yards).

We will refer your application to your doctor or consultant, or if we feel that a second medical opinion is required, to the Community Medicine Specialist of Fife NHS Health Care Trust.  Please provide the full name, address and telephone number of the doctor or consultant who you feel will be able to give us up to date information with regard to your disability.  In most cases this will be your G.P. but it can be your consultant or other specialist if you prefer.  We also ask the date that you last consulted this person. 

If you have a disability or illness which causes you difficulties but does not affect your walking ability, you will not normally qualify for a badge.  For example, if you need to be able to open your car door wide to get in and out of the car but can walk without difficulty once you are out of your car, you will not normally qualify for a badge. 

If your disability is temporary, you may still qualify for a badge if your doctor can confirm that your disability is expected to last for longer than 12 months from the date of application.  People with a temporary disability such as a broken leg do not usually qualify for a Blue Badge as their disability does not last longer than 12 months.

Please provide as much information as possible and also state how long it is expected to last from the date on which you are completing your application e.g. 6 months, 12 weeks, until March 2010 etc.

Yes, children can be issued with a Blue Badge either if they receive a qualifying benefit or under the discretionary criteria. 

If your child is aged 2 or more please complete an application form as detailed in the questions above. 

If your child is aged less than 2 please see below for further details.

From 1 April 2007, a child under 2 can qualify if they need to have additional bulky medical equipment, such as oxygen cylinders, suction pumps etc with them when they go out. Most children under 2 need help with walking or use a pram or buggy and parents of all small children can use parent/child car spaces.  It is therefore only in exceptional circumstances where a child under 2 needs additional bulky medical equipment that they will qualify for a badge.

If you think that your child may qualify, please complete the form with the child’s details and provide details of their disability and the medical equipment they need to have with them or which has to be kept in the car for quick access. You also need to give the name and address of the doctor who is most up to date with their disability and the equipment they require.

If you qualify automatically we aim to send out your badge within 7 working days of receiving your fully completed application form and acceptable proof of your qualifying benefit. 

If we need to send your application to your Doctor or the Community Medicine Specialist we aim to send out your badge, or advise if you have been unsuccessful, within 28 working days of receiving your completed application form.

Fife Council's performance when processing Blue Badge Applications for the year 01 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 was as follows:

83% of Blue Badges for people who qualified automatically were processed within 7 days.

97% of Blue Badges for people who qualified under the discretionary criteria (sent to GPs) were processed within 28 days.

The decision about an application made under the discretionary criteria is made by the Council taking into account all the information provided by you in your application and all the information provided by your Doctor. 

The application form asks you for an indication of the distance that you can walk without help and assistance and also what assistance, if any, you use when walking so that we can assess how your disability affects your walking.

The description of a qualifying person for the purposes of a Blue Badge as stated in the relevant legislation is someone who has a permanent disability which causes an inability to walk or a permanent disability causing severe difficulty in walking. 

If you have a Myfife card and gave permission for that information to be shared within the Council we can use your Myfife photograph.  Please provide details

If you do not qualify automatically we send a standard form to your doctor in order to get information in support of your application.  If you feel that you have a consultant who is more up to date with your disability then you can provide their name and address instead.

If you do not qualify automatically we will contact your doctor for information in support of your application.  On occasion the doctor does not or cannot provide all the information or on occasion we need a medical opinion about   the information provided by the doctor or a second opinion before we make the decision about an application or when we are looking again at a decision. The Community Specialist is appointed by the Fife NHS Health Care Trust to provide such a service.

This depends on the circumstances of your application but as a guide:

 Automatic Qualifiers

1.      If you have been awarded one of the qualifying benefits for life and your proof of entitlement provided with your application shows this, your badge will be issued for a period of 3 years.  For example you apply for a badge in June 2008 and your proof show that you have been awarded DLA Higher Rate Mobility indefinitely and your proof is dated within the last 12 months, your badge will be issued with an end date of June 2011, 3 years from the date of issue.

2.      If the proof of entitlement of qualifying benefit provided with your application shows that this is due for renewal before the end of the 3 year period then your badge will be issued with an expiry date of the same date on which your benefit is due for renewal (as long as this is longer than 12 months).  For example you apply for a badge in June 2008 and provide proof that your entitlement to DLA Higher Rate Mobility will last until December 2009, your badge will be issued with an expiry date of December 2009. 

3.      If the proof of entitlement of qualifying benefit provided with your application shows that this is due for renewal within 12 months then you will not automatically qualify for a badge as badges cannot be issued for a period of less than 12 months.  For example if you apply for a badge in March 2009 but your proof of DLA shows that this is due to be reviewed in November 2009, you will not qualify automatically for a badge.  We would then consider your application as shown below and will contact you for any information required for this.

 (Please note that any proof you supply must be dated within the last 12 months and show that your benefit will be in payment for longer than 12 months from the date on which you are applying for your badge).

Discretionary

4.      If you apply under the discretionary criteria and Fife Council are provided with information to show that you have a permanent and substantial disability your badge will be issued for a period of 3 years.

5.      If you apply under the discretionary criteria but are under 2 then your badge will be issued with an expiry date of the day after your second birthday when you will need to re-apply for a badge.

6.      If you apply under the discretionary criteria and Fife Council are provided with information to show that you have a substantial but temporary disability which is expected to last longer than 12 months then your badge will be issued with as expiry date of when you are expected to have full mobility.  For example you apply for a badge in March 2009 as you have broken both legs in an accident.  It is shown that you are expected to gain full mobility in September 2010 so your badge will be issued with an expiry date of September 2010.

If you discover in September 2010 that you are not expected to regain full mobility until June 2011, you can reapply for a badge. This is the only circumstance in which an application can be issued for a period of less than 12 months.

7.      If you apply under the discretionary criteria and Fife Council are provided with information to show that you have a substantial but temporary disability which is expected to last for 9 months then you will not qualify for a blue badge.  For example you apply for a badge in June 2007 as you are awaiting a hip replacement in October 2007 but it is shown that you are expected to gain full mobility in March 2008.  You will therefore not qualify for a badge.  

Badges can only be issued for a maximum period of 3 years.  A new application should be made around 6-8 weeks prior to the expiry date. 

Each application is treated as a new application as many people have changes in circumstances over that period of time.  Badges are not automatically renewed and you must go through the whole application process every 3 years. 

Decisions are made by Fife Council taking into account all the information provided by you and your doctor.  You may not have qualified because:

If you have had a badge before we cannot automatically renew your badge.  A decision will be made on the information provided in the current application.

Although there is no right of appeal, if you disagree with the decision you can write (or e-mail) and ask that we look at the decision again.  It will help if you can provide any information that you perhaps did not include in your original application. 

We will send you an acknowledgement letter confirming that we have received your request for a review and will refer your application and additional information back to your doctor for any additional comments they can make or we may refer your application to the Community Medicine Specialist for an independant medical opinion. We will write to you with the outcome of the review once we have received all information. 

If you wish us to contact a different doctor please provide, in writing, their name and address and written permission for us to contact them regarding your Blue Badge application.  Some people ask us to contact another doctor if they have seen a specialist since they made their application and feel that the specialist has more up to date information about their disability and how it affects their walking. 

Please provide as many details as possible. i.e. badge number, name and address of person misusing the badge, name and address of the badge holder etc.

All reports of possible misuse of a blue badge will be investigated and, if appropriate, the badge holder will be issued with a letter warning them of the consequences of not following the conditions of use for the Blue Badge.

We cannot comment on individual badges but would advise the following: 

Some disabilities such as haemophilia, prosthetic limbs or cancer are not immediately visible disabilities but can entitle someone to receive one of the qualifying benefits from the Benefits Agency and can therefore entitle them to a badge. 

If you feel that someone has a badge when they should not, you should write to us with as much information as possible and ask that we investigate the use of the badge.  

A Clock card is used in England because the time that you can park using a Blue Badge is limited and indicated by the time shown on the clock card when you park.  You display it on your windscreen next to your badge.

You should continue to use the badge you were issued with from Edinburgh until it is due for renewal and then you should re-apply in Fife.

The badge should be handed into a Fife Council Local Service Centre or returned to the address shown at the top of this page. 

Please include a brief note giving the name and address of the badge holder and reason for returning the badge including the date of death so that we can update our records accordingly. 

You can also hand it into the registrar if you are registering a death and wish them to return it on your behalf.

Badges should also be returned when they expire and if they are no longer required for any other reason.

If you have damaged your badge by leaving it in the sun or washing it etc then you should return the damaged badge along with 2 new signed photographs and a note explaining what has happened to it and we will issue a new badge to you.  Your badge will not fade in the sun if the advice to remove from the car when not in use is followed.  Alternatively, you can take your photographs into a Local Service Centre. 

If your badge has been lost or you believe it has been stolen you should report this to the Police.  You should then inform us in writing that it has been lost/stolen, enclosing 2 signed photographs so that we can issue you with a new badge.  We may ask you to supply proof of identity before issuing a duplicate badge. 

We ask for this information in writing to help prevent fraud and misuse of blue badges.  You can go into a Local Service Centre with your photographs and the relevant information or send them to:  Blue Badge Administration, Performance & Organisational Support, Fife Council, Fife House, North Street, Glenrothes, KY7 5LT

We are unable to provide information about this over the phone. You can make a written application under the Data Protection Legislation and ask to be provided with a copy of the information held on file for your Blue Badge Application.  You may then receive a copy of everything including the information provided by your doctor.  You may be asked to provide proof of identity and there may be a cost involved.  We would confirm that decisions about badges are not made by the doctor but by Fife Council based on the information provided by both you and your doctor.

The Freedom of Information Act does not apply to Blue Badge applications as these applications contain personal information covered under the Data Protection Act.  However questions such as how many badges are issued in Fife etc are Freedom of Information enquiries as they are not related to specific badges.

The parking restrictions are set by Local Traffic Orders issued by Legal Services on behalf of Transportation Services and enforced by Traffic Wardens and Police Officers.

Fife Council carries out a Customer Satisfaction Survey for people who apply for Blue Badges every 2 years.  The results below are for the last survey, carried out in 2008. 

See Also

Advice Topics

• Blue Badges