Renewing Blue Badge parking permits is to be made quicker and easier for older people in Knowsley, as part of a package of measures designed to bring down waiting times.
Blue Badge parking permits allow people with disabilities to park close to local amenities, making it easier for them to get out and about independently.
Whilst most people who apply for a permit receive it within five to six weeks, people who require a ‘further assessment’ often wait a lot longer than this because Council’s occupational therapy service need to do additional checks to make sure they are eligible for the permit.
Now Knowsley Council has agreed several changes in the way it processes the renewal of existing badges, to make it as quick and easy for the applicant as possible – and to bring down waiting times, too.
Additional staff have been recruited to join the council’s Occupational Therapy Service, meaning more assessments can be carried out more quickly, and people aged over 67 years of age who apply to renew an existing Blue Badge will typically no longer need further assessments.
The applicants who wait the longest are often people who need to submit additional information to support their claim. If this information is not submitted or it does not contain the correct level of detail of how their medical condition affects their mobility to walk short distances this can lead to prolonged delays, as officer time is spent contacting applicants to request missing documents, and cases are kept open, sometimes for weeks on end, waiting for the correct submissions.
To improve the quality of applications, Knowsley Council has been working for some time to provide further guidance and help for applicants, to reduce the number of cases which require follow up. And now, in line with other national schemes (such as passport applications), applications made without the correct evidence will be automatically refused. However, applicants will then receive further advice and guidance about what supporting evidence that they should supply in order for their application to re-assessed. As there is no charge for an application (a fee is only payable when the Blue Badge is awarded), this will not result in any applicants being out of pocket.
These changes will reduce the administration time for the teams processing applications and help reduce waiting times for people in need of the Blue Badges.
Cllr Del Arnall, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care at Knowsley Council, said: “For someone with a disability, a Blue Badge can be the difference between being able to retain their independence and get out of the house – so we don’t want people to be left waiting longer that they need to.
“Our figures show that around 95% of all renewal applications by people aged over 67 were approved following assessments, so by removing the automatic requirement for a new assessment at every renewal or this age group means most no longer have to undergo the assessment and do not need to worry that there’ll be a delay in getting their new badge – something that can cause a lot of stress and anxiety for those who really rely on this scheme.
“These changes are a really common sense way to bring down waiting times and make the whole process of applying or renewing as quick and painless as possible for all involved.”