Blue Badge (Disabled Parking) Reform Strategy Keith Hughes Peter Colmans DfT
The Proposals
A national system of data sharing will be established Badge security features will be upgraded to include new technologies such as barcodes, making the badge harder to forge. New legal powers that will allow parking enforcement officers to seize lost, stolen and fraudulent Blue Badges A national publicity campaign to highlight the Blue Badge Reform Strategy. This will include messages about the impact that abuse has on disabled people. We will support the British Retail Consortium to reduce abuse in their members’ offoff-street car parks, such as supermarket car parks
The Proposals
We will help more disabled people to get around by extending the Scheme to:
people with the most severe but temporary mobility problems (lasting at least one year); seriously disabled service personnel / veterans; individuals with severe mental impairments; and more children under the age of 3 (who have specific medical conditions).
Assessments will be made fairer and more consistent local authorities with receive up to £15 million per year to conduct improved independent medical assessments
The Proposals
Nine local authorities have been awarded the status ‘Centre of Excellence’ in administering and enforcing the scheme. They will each receive a share of £500,000 to promote good practice and drive up improvements in management of the scheme with other local authorities. Greater foreign reciprocity of the badge will be explored, once the domestic reforms are complete
Timescales Centres of Excellence Finalise bids from Centres of Excellence for grant funding and allocate funds. CoEs to use funding to deliver their work plans and disseminate good practice.
Bids and funding to be agreed Mar 2009. CoEs to deliver work plans and dissemination activities during 2009/10. Regional visits during 2009/10.
Timescales Data Sharing Project Prepare all PPM documentation and undertake gateway reviews. Research, specify and agree requirement, with assistance from informal consultations with users. Prepare Impact Assessment. Procure agreed ICT solution. Build, development and testing of ICT solution. System developed. Roll Roll--out and change management
Feb 2009 – Jul 2009
Sept 2009 – Jan 2010
Jan 2010 – May 2010 Jul 2010 - Jan 2011
No later than March 2011 Apr 2011 - Oct 2011
Timescales Powers for seizure Research, develop and agree policy options, with assistance from informal consultations with stakeholders. Prepare Impact Assessment and draft instructions to legal. Legal preparation of draft Bill. Draft Bill published for preprelegislative scrutiny and formal consultation. Bid for legislative slot in first session of new Parliament. Future timetable dependent on outcome of bid.
Feb 2009 – April 2009
May 2009 – Oct 2009 Nov 2009 – Mar 2010
June 2010
Timescales Powers to extend eligibility, raise fee and improve badge security Research, develop and agree policy options, with assistance from informal consultations with stakeholders. Prepare Impact Assessment. Legal preparation of draft Statutory Instrument, preparation and clearance of consultation document. Formal consultation period. Final regulations, Impact Assessment and guidance prepared. Regulations laid.
Jan 2009 – Dec 2009
Jan 2010 – Jun 2010
Jun 2010 – Oct 2010
Oct 2010 – Feb 2011
Feb 2011 – to come into effect in April 2011 and to coincide with data sharing project ‘going live’.
Timescales Move to independent medical assessments Research existing legislation, requirements and desired policy and operational changes, with assistance from stakeholders. Agree how funding is accessed, and scope of funding. Prepare and issue toolkit / guidance for local authorities. Transfer, to local authorities, of existing National Health Service budgets that are currently being used to determine eligibility for the Scheme. Local authorities, who have not already done so, prepare for and make the switch to independent medical assessments.
Feb – Dec 2009
Apr - June 2009
Jan – March 2010
[April 2010?]
During 2009/10 and beyond.
Ongoing monitoring and evaluation by DfT of progress.
