The Blue Badge

If you’re disabled or have a long-term medical condition affecting your mobility, the Blue Badge can help drivers park closer to their chosen destinations and can exempt you from certain parking restrictions. Being on certain benefits will mean that you’re automatically eligible for a badge and will make the application much more straightforward. There are other areas of eligibility, and it is always best to check.

Caring for the elderly can present lots of challenges. Transporting your loved ones whether they have capacity to walk short distances or being in a wheelchair can prove difficult. Using normal car parks is not always the best option. Often, they are not in easy distant and multi-storey car parks have the added issues of lifts not always working.

This is where a Blue Badge can make all the difference because it gives you the opportunity to park closer to your destination.  This is very important for getting elderly people out and about doing the normal things we all take for granted, such as meeting friends for coffee, lunch or general shopping. Such simple things are essential for wellbeing as well as providing interaction with the community. There are so many older people who live isolated lives and have no interaction with anyone on a daily basis.  This is where a Blue Badge can be a lifeline.

The Blue Badge is linked to you rather than a vehicle, so you can use it with any car. This includes taxis and hire cars that you’re driving or travelling in as a passenger.  Having a Blue Badge gives you the freedom and opportunity to park in places other drivers can’t and many councils run car park schemes offering 3 hours free parking.  It is always best to check however before parking as some do charge.

If you are using the parking concessions as a passenger, it is important you make the driver aware of the rules using the badge. The badge must always be clearly displayed on the dashboard of the vehicle and when parking on yellow lines or in other places where there is a time restriction you need to display the clock showing your time of arrival. The Blue Badge is not a licence to park anywhere.

If you feel this is something which would benefit you or your family or even someone you care for it is easy to apply online.

The blue badge can be applied for on the government website.

Apply for or renew a Blue Badge – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

There is a yearly charge of £10 which is payable when applying, however if for any reason you are unsuccessful it is reimbursed. When you receive your Blue Badge, you will be given a leaflet from your council explaining all the rules and how to use it.

At Barker Gotelee our caseworker team can offer assistance to elderly and vulnerable clients. To find out more, contact us.

Debra Boggis is a caseworker in the private client team at Barker Gotelee Solicitors in Suffolk.

For more information on our range of legal services including elderly client care, please call the team on 01473 611211 or email [email protected]