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Apply for a Blue Badge

The Blue Badge scheme provides parking concessions for people with severe mobility problems, or someone who is unable to undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress. The scheme operates throughout the UK and is recognised throughout the European Union.

You are automatically eligible to apply for a badge if you are over three years old and either:

  • Receive the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance
  • Have a score of 8 points or more on the 'moving around' section of the Personal Independent Payment (PIP)
  • Have a score of 10 points under 'Planning and following a journey' component, with the descriptor 'Cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant'
  • Are registered statutory blind
  • Receive a War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement
  • Are a member of service personnel or veterans who has been awarded a benefit (giving rise to entitlement to a lump sum at tariffs 1-8 inclusive) under the AFCS and assessed and certified by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) (an executive agency of the Ministry of Defence) as having a permanent and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking.

You also may also be eligible for a badge if you are over three years old and either:

  • Have an enduring and substantial disability (expected to last longer than 3 years) which means you cannot walk, or which makes walking very difficult
  • Be a person who has 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
    • is unable to undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress
    • be 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 are unable to operate all or some types of parking meter (or would find it very difficult to operate them).

If you are a parent of a child who is under the age of three, you may apply for a badge for your child if they have a specific medical condition which means that they either:

  • must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which cannot be carried around without great difficulty
  • need to be kept near a vehicle at all times, so that they can, if necessary, be treated in the vehicle
  • driven to a place where they can be treated, such as a hospital.

Applying for or renewing a Blue Badge

You can apply for or renew your blue badge parking permit by completing the application form below, you will need:

  • your national insurance number
  • proof of your address e.g. a utility bill
  • photo ID
  • a debit card to make payment
  • eligibility proof e.g. PIP award, medical records, GP letter.

You will be required to upload this evidence as part of the online application process. This saves time and allows us to process your application quickly, without the need for you to bring documents to the Town Hall. Please make sure that the scans are clear and legible and that photographs are of a passport quality.

If you make the application by phone, you will need to provide the evidence above within 28 days.

You should re-apply for a blue badge renewal some weeks before it runs out to allow us time to order your new badge, but not more than 12 weeks before the renewal date. If you are unable to complete the application online you can telephone 0161 253 6855 to apply.

Apply for a new badge (opens in a new tab or window)

What happens next

Following submission of you application you will be advised what to do next. Applications are normally processed within 4 weeks of receipt of your supporting documents and payment.

If your application requires further assessment with a mobility assessor, it could take longer.

If eligible, you'll receive a Blue Badge through the post, along with information about the Blue Badge scheme rights and responsibilities in England.

If you're refused a Blue Badge, we'll tell you why you're not eligible and the appeals process.

Blue Badge application if you have a DS1500 or SR1

Please apply using the form below if you hold either a DS1500 or SR1 document, issued by your GP or MacMillan Nursing Trust. You will be required to upload a copy of this document to support your application.

Apply for a Blue Badge using a DS1500 or SR1 (opens in a new tab or window)

Apply for or renew an organisation Blue Badge

Some organisations may be eligible for a Blue Badge if they both care for and transport disabled people who themselves meet the eligibility criteria for a badge.

An organisational badge must only be displayed when someone who would be eligible for a Blue Badge in their own right is being transported.

Common examples of organisations that may be eligible include residential care homes, hospices or local authority social services departments.

You will need proof of your insurance for your organisation (this can be insurance such as motor or liability insurance) and you will be required to upload this as part of the application.

Eligible organisations will be asked to pay a £10 fee for each badge. It can take up to 10 working days to process your application.

Apply for a Blue Badge for your organisation (opens in a new tab or window)

Further information