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Help and support with cost of living

Blue Badges

If you need any help/advice or wish to make a payment, please call the Blue Badge Team on 0161 793 2500.

Due to a high volume of applications you may experience a longer wait time to receive your blue badge. To help the team, please do not delay in completing your application and provide as much supporting information as you can. If your badge is due to expire and you haven’t had any contact from the team please call us on 0161 793 2500 between 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday.

A Blue Badge allows people with mobility and/or hidden disabilities to park closer to their destination. Blue Badge holders can be either the driver or the passenger of a vehicle they travel in.

In England, Blue Badge holders may generally park:

  • On single or double yellow lines for up to three hours, except where there is a ban on loading or unloading
  • At 'on-street' parking meters and pay-and-display machines for free and for as long as they need to

Organisations which transport and care for disabled people can apply for an organisational Blue Badge.

Entitlement to a blue badge

Expand the boxes below to find out who is automatically entitled to a blue badge and who may be entitled to a badge.

Automatic entitlement

You are automatically entitled to a Blue Badge if any of the following apply:

  • You receive the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and have obtained eight points or more under the 'moving around' activity
  • You receive the higher rate of the mobility component of DLA (Disability Living Allowance)
  • You are registered blind
  • You receive a War Pensioner's mobility supplement
  • You are a member of service personnel or a veteran who has been awarded a benefit (giving rise to entitlement to a lump sum at tariffs 1-8 inclusive) under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and have a permanent and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking (as assessed and certified by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency, known as the SPVA which is an executive agency of the Ministry of Defence) 
  • You receive the mobility component of PIP (Personal Independent Payment) and have obtained ten points specifically for Descriptor E under the 'planning and following journeys' activity on the grounds that you are unable to undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress.

If your PIP or DLA mobility component award is for less than three years, then your Blue Badge will run out at the same time. 

Once we have received your application, we can check with the DWP to confirm your Personal Independence Payment (for moving around) or Disability Living Allowance award (mobility element). 

Please note, there may be occasions where we will ask you to provide this information. If you need a replacement letter, please see our frequently asked questions page.

Discretionary entitlement

You may be entitled to a Blue Badge if you:

  • Have an enduring and substantial disability (expected to last longer than three years) which means you cannot walk, or which makes walking very difficult.
  • Have been certified by an expert assessor as having an enduring and substantial disability which causes them, during the course of a journey, to be:
    • Unable to walk
    • Unable to undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress
    • At risk of serious harm when walking; or pose, when walking, a risk of serious harm to any other person.
  • Drive a motor vehicle regularly, have a severe disability in both arms, and unable to operate all or some types of parking meters (or would find it very difficult to operate them).
  • Are a parent of a child under the age of three years old and fall under either or both of the following criteria:
    • a child who, on account of a condition, must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which cannot be carried around with the child without great difficulty
    • a child who, on account of a condition, must always be kept near a motor vehicle so that, if necessary, treatment for that condition can be given in the vehicle or the child can be taken quickly in the vehicle to a place where such treatment can be given.

Once the child reaches the age of three years old, a new application will need to be completed, and it will be considered under the automatic or discretionary criteria. The same applies for a new application for a child aged three and over.

How to apply

The quickest and easiest way to apply for a new Blue Badge is online. There is a £10 fee for all successful applications. Please pay by credit/debit card to the Blue Badge Team at a Gateway Centre or the Broughton Hub.

All supporting information and fee needs to be provided within one month of your application, otherwise we will refuse you claim, and you may need to reapply again, if you still want a badge. If we do require any further information, we will now send you a link at the point of assessment. You'll this be able to upload the supporting information direct to your application, if you have not already done so.

Please visit our FAQ page before starting your application, where you will find what information is needed and it may also answer any questions you have.

Photographs

We require a passport sized photograph taken within the last month, this does not need to be certified and can be submitted at the same time as your online application.

You can have your photograph taken free of charge at a Gateway Centre or Broughton Hub.

Apply for a Blue Badge online

Return to a saved application

The form lets you save your application if you can't finish completing the form in one session. Return to a saved application.

Replace a lost, stolen or damaged blue badge

If you've lost your blue badge, please complete this replacement badge form.

If your badge has been stolen please report this crime to the police on telephone number 101 and ask for a crime number. Once you have a crime number you are then able to complete the online replacement badge form.

There is a £10 admin fee for any replacement. Please pay by credit/debit card to the Blue Badge Team at a Gateway Centre/Hub.

A new photo is required and you can have this taken free of charge at your nearest Gateway Centre or Broughton Hub, you will also need to provide proof of address and proof of identity. This can be uploaded using our Blue Badge contact form or taken into your nearest Gateway Centre or Hub.

Contacting us after applying

Once you have submitted your application, you cannot upload any new or further information/supporting documents. At the point of assessment if we require further information or supporting documents, we will send you an email with a link so you can upload directly to the Blue Badge Team without the need to go to a Gateway or Hub. If you are not able to use the link, you can call into one of our Gateway Centres or Broughton Hub who will pass this information on the Blue Badge Team. Alternatively, you can upload your information using the Blue Badge contact form.

Extra help

If you do not have access to the internet or need help you can come to one of our Gateway Centers or Broughton Hub where someone will be there to offer you support and guide you through the online form and help with uploading your information.

If you have been awarded PIP or DLA mobility please present your most recent award letter that shows the breakdown of points and the expiry date. This will help the team advise you which is the correct application form that needs to be completed and prevent any delays.

Priority for a terminal illness

If you or someone that you are helping apply for a Blue Badge has terminal illness then please select the ‘They have a terminal illness’ option when applying for a blue badge online. This ensures the application will be treated with priority.

Tackling abuse and misuse

The badge is only valid for the person it has been issued to. Their details will be printed on it. It must not be used by any one else.

It is an offence to park a vehicle in a designated disabled parking bay without a valid Blue Badge being clearly displayed. The badge must be displayed the correct way up, otherwise you will receive a parking ticket.

If you suspect that a person is misusing a Blue Badge you should contact the Blue Badge Team by using the Blue Badge contact form with the details of the badge and the person using the badge.

Contact us online 

If you wish to contact a member of the team please use the Blue Badge Contact form, and a member of the team will respond to your enquiry within five working days.

Frequently asked questions

If you have any questions about Blue Badges please see our frequently asked questions page.

Downloadable documents

If you are unable to view documents of these types, our downloads page provides links to viewing software.

This page was last updated on 8 September 2023

Parking, roads and travel

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