Blue Badges and parking for disabled people

What is the Blue Badge scheme?

The Blue Badge scheme provides a national arrangement of parking concessions for disabled people in England. As a devolved policy matter, separate but similar schemes operate in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. A more limited scheme operates in Central London boroughs.

There are reciprocal arrangements for Blue Badge holders allowing them to park in most EU countries. The Blue Badge scheme does not apply to off-street car parks, whether local authority or privately owned.

Who is eligible?

In England an individual will automatically qualify for a Blue Badge if they are aged 3 or over and at least one of the following applies:

• They receive the higher rate of the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
• They receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP) because they can’t walk more than 50 metres (a score of 8 points or more under the ‘moving around’ activity of the mobility component).
• They are registered blind (severely sight impaired).
• They receive a War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement.
• They have received a lump sum benefit within tariff levels 1 to 8 of the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation) Scheme and have been certified as having a permanent and substantial disability that causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking.
• They receive the mobility component of PIP and have obtained 10 points specifically for descriptor E under the ‘Planning and Following Journeys’ activity, on the grounds that they are unable to undertake any journey because it would cause them overwhelming psychological distress.

An individual may also be eligible for a Blue Badge under a number of other criteria after an assessment by their local authority.

Enforcement and appeals

In England, Scotland and Wales it is an offence under section 117 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for the badge to be misused by a non-disabled person, with a maximum fine on conviction of £1,000. In Northern Ireland it is an offence under Section 2 of The Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1993 for the badge to be misused by a non-disabled person, with a maximum fine on conviction of £1,000.

Local authorities have the power to withdraw the Badge if the holder constantly misuses it or allows it to be misused by others. Section 94 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 further tightened the legislation in England and Wales by giving uniformed enforcement officers the power to inspect Badges.

Legislative changes

In England the most recent legislative change came in 2019 when the government extended the eligibility for the Blue Badge scheme to individuals living with non-visible conditions such as autism, dementia, Parkinson’s and arthritis.

The coalition government introduced changes to improve Blue Badge scheme enforcement in the Disabled Persons’ Parking Badges Act 2013 (which applies in England, Wales and Scotland).

Blue Badge applicants were also affected by the move from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment.

Using a Blue Badge abroad

In 1998 EU Member States made an informal agreement (amended in 2008) to recognise badges of a common format issued in EU countries.

Post-Brexit, parking concessions vary for UK Blue Badge holders driving in Europe. The Department for Transport guidance Using a Blue Badge in the European Union and European Economic Area provides specific information for each country. A UK Blue Badge is currently accepted in Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland and in a number of EU countries. However, some EU countries may not recognise a non-EU parking card or there may be regional variation within a country.

Parking

Local authorities have powers to install disabled parking bays and spaces both on and off road — these can be statutory or discretionary. Discretionary spaces are cheaper to install but rely on other motorists not to park in them and are not legally enforceable. In privately owned car parks, it is up for the landowner to install spaces for disabled people and to enforce them.

More information on this can be found in the Library briefing on Parking FAQs.

Blue Badges outside England

Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales operate their own Blue Badge schemes.

• The scheme in Northern Ireland is run by the Department of Infrastructure. The eligibility criteria can be viewed on their website.
• The Welsh Government publishes eligibility criteria and eligibility guidance for local authorities on their website, as well as advice on applying for a badge.
• The Scottish Government publishes similar information.