Excellent news. Don’t forget you can park on double yellow lines for up to 3 hours, but you have to use the clock. And you can’t park on yellow lines where there are white horizontal lines up over the kerb. I know they tell you this in the book. But I didn’t read that bit until I got a ticket. Doh.
Oh and you should check your local authority rules. For eg, in Worthing BC area, parking is free in their car parks with a badge but only in designated disabled bays. But in next door Arun DC, parking is free with a badge in any space in their car parks. The yellow line rules are national. And of course private car parks (NCP etc) charge you, but at least have disabled bays.
It does become customary to put the badge up, but there’s times early on when it’s easy to forget to use it. I actually forgot a few weeks ago and got a ticket. I wrote a grovelling letter and they let me off with a slapped wrist and ‘don’t do it again or we’ll throw the book at you’ (hints of a prison sentence for repeat offences)!!
Sue
Scudger This is your best yet !! Love this !! Thank you for the laugh !!
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Hi Sue
thanks for the info.
The other thing to note now is that the Blue Badge can be used in any vehicle as long as the Badge holder is present. Although the application requires you to give upto 3 vehicle number plates you are likely to use. Well all that is irrelevant now.
Now that I have qualified for The Blue Badge. Would I be able to apply for Motability ?
I know of the benefits you should be receiving.
It just seems the two would go hand in hand or are they independent of each other.
After doing some research it looks like I qualify for a Blue Badge but unlikely for Motability.
Does that make sense ?
Reminds me of a song in the Punk Era with the lyrics…
“I cant get a job cos I havent got a home”.
“I cant get a home cos I havent got a job”.
Hello, Mr King of Pictorial Wonderousness,
If you qualified for the Blue Badge because you can’t walk more than 50 metres (reliably, repeatedly, safely), then you ‘should’ (in theory at least) be able to qualify for PIP for mobility at the lower, or Standard, rate. This unfortunately will not mean that you qualify for Motability, but it is money in your pocket at the rate of £22 per week. However, if you cannot walk more than 20 metres (reliably, repeatedly, safely), then you ‘should’ qualify for PIP for mobility at the enhanced rate. This equates to £58 per week or entitlement to a Motability vehicle.
Obviously, to get PIP at any rate, for either component, you do have to fulfil the appropriate criteria, complete the blasted long forms and prove that this is the distance you can walk. This should be initially with written evidence (from neuro, MS nurse, physio, etc, etc) and will in all likelihood mean you have to have a physical assessment. Which you may have read about on this forum!!
Have a look at the criteria: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/Migrated_Documents/adviceguide/pip-9-table-of-activities-descriptors-and-points.pdf
And the CAB advice: Personal Independence Payment - Citizens Advice
And if you think you’ll have a go at claiming (and imo you might as well), consider joining http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/ They charge about £20 for a year, but it’s worth it for access to their accurate, up to date guides.
Sue
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Lower rate for mobility would allow you to apply for disabled railcard, cinema card. Buy one ticket , get carer’s ticket free.
Also reduction on car tax.
Worth applying for.
Jen x
I have a blue badge question.
Someone asked me today whether I can get a blue badge given currently unable to walk (need a stick and someone to lean on to get anywhere at all and even then only about 20m or so, deffo not 50m)
If this symptom becomes permanent I am sure I would qualify, but currently I’m hoping it will subside - soon! - and that this is a hypothetical question… but just so I know, at what point, if it hasn’t improved enough, would the problem be considered permanent enough to warrant help?
TIA 
Hi Angela
You don’t qualify for a Blue Badge unless your disability is substantial and permanent (and are unable to walk or have great difficulty walking) or you qualify for the mobility component of PIP or high rate DLA for mobility. There are one or two other qualifying conditions (such as being blind).
See https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/197719/can-i-get-a-blue-badge.pdf
Sue
Thanks, on my current symptoms I think I tick the “substantial” box. It’s the “permanent” bit I was querying. For employment purposes (under the DDA) I’ve always been told that “likely to last at least 12 months” is the yardstick for our HR people. Is it similar for blue badge scheme, I was wondering? As I say, hoping this is very much a hypothetical question but I like to have a good idea about the future options - makes the current situation feel a bit less scary somehow!
I’m not absolutely sure, but I don’t think the Blue Badge scheme works quite like that. By all means contact your local council for clarification. But why not try making a claim for PIP. If you qualify for the mobility component (and there’s no telling whether you would or wouldn’t, the way some of the assessments are going it’s anyone’s guess!) then you’d automatically qualify for a Blue Badge.
Sue
Thanks, I will look into that. Based on current symptoms I’m sure I would get something for mobility if symptoms do turn out to be long term but as you say who can say these days!
