Appeal a Blue Badge decision

If your application is unsuccessful, you can appeal the decision if you feel it does not reflect your current level of mobility.

A Blue Badge may be refused if:

you do not meet the criteria
you fail to provide us with adequate evidence of your eligibility, either as an individual or organisation
we believe you are not the applicant
we believe the applicant would permit use of the Blue Badge by another person

Appeal

You must notify us in writing within one month of the date of your refusal notification:

Email - [email protected]
Post - West Northants Customer Service Centre, Blue Badge, One Angel Square, Northampton, NN1 1ED

You need to include additional medical or supporting evidence not available with your initial application, which indicates both the severity and permanent nature of your condition and explain how this effects your ability to access the community.

We will review your case based on the national eligibility criteria outlined by the Department of Transport, the information on your initial form, the assessment, and any evidence you have supplied to support your appeal. This may include being referred to our Independent Mobility Assessor.

You can expect a decision usually within one month but can be longer if additional information is required. If you are unsuccessful in your appeal you can reapply within 6 months if your circumstances change.

Appeal process

The reassessment of an application is based on whether you:

are unable to walk or have very considerable difficulty walking
suffer from overwhelming psychological distress or are at risk of serious harm to yourself or others

Reassessment of an application is not based on the presence or absence of a diagnosis or condition.

The information you provide will need to show you are affected to the extent that you would be unable to access the community unless allowed to park close to shops, public buildings, and other facilities.

We only need to know about the conditions and diagnoses which affect you in relation to your ability to access good and services in the community. The outcome of a review is determined by the information you provide so information submitted needs to be an accurate reflection of how you undertake a journey.

Further information can include documentation from your Consultant, Specialist Consultant, The NHS App, or Free Medical records from your doctor's surgery. The information needs to be related directly to your conditions that impact your mobility and how they impact accessing the community.

We cannot use letters from your GP to approve your appeal. However, we can use them as supporting documents and will take the evidence into consideration. Requesting a GP’s letter is at your own cost and may not be enough evidence to issue a badge.

Additional information provided needs to cover the following points:

what behaviours and/or difficulties in relation to your ability to access the community are experienced when undertaking a journey
how frequently these occur
how you currently access the community, including what coping strategies are currently in place to ensure your safety and what steps are currently taken to try and improve journeys for you
how effective are these strategies
how a Blue Badge would stop or ease the difficulties experience

Last updated 06 July 2023