If you are disabled, a Blue Badge permit allows you to park legally near to places you need to visit.
The permit is for any eligible disabled person whether travelling as a driver or as a passenger.
It allows you to park for free, for up to 3 hours in:
- some pay and display car parks
- on single and double yellow lines in most streets
Although this is a national scheme, it is delivered locally by Bracknell Forest Council.
You can use a Blue Badge when travelling in some European countries. For more details read Where your UK Blue Badge is recognised in Europe on GOV.UK.
We only issue badges under the guidelines and regulations provided by the Department for Transport (DfT).
A Blue Badge costs £10. For more information visit Blue Badges on GOV.UK.
Eligibility
We issue Blue Badges to residents of Bracknell Forest who meet eligibility criteria. To find out if you are eligible, visit who can get a Blue Badge on GOV.UK.
You will need to show evidence of your qualifying criteria.
Disabilities that automatically qualify
Severely sight impaired
You will automatically qualify if you are registered as severely sight impaired (blind). Partially sighted people do not automatically qualify.
In receipt of qualifying benefit
You will also qualify if you receive one of the following:
- the higher rate 'for help with getting around' mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- 8 points or more for the 'moving around' part of the mobility component of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- 10 points for the 'planning and following a journey' component of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) but only if the descriptor states that "the applicant cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming mental distress"
- War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement
- Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) award, tariffs 1-8 and have been assessed by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) as having a permanent and substantial disability that causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty walking
Life limiting illness
Blue Badges are usually only automatically issued to people who meet the criteria above. However, we have made a concession to assist people who have a life limiting condition (time of life remaining is unlikely to be longer than 6 months).
If you, or a person you are supporting, is suffering from a life limiting condition please state this on your application.
People who have a life limiting condition can ask a medical professional to fill in SR1 form. An SR1 form is short report about a person's medical condition. You must submit a copy of the report with your application form. You can learn more about the SR1 form on GOV.UK.
Disabilities that may qualify
Walking disability
You may qualify if one of the following apply:
- you have a permanent and substantial disability which affects your mobility and means you have considerable difficulty in walking
- you have a child under 3 years old and need to transport bulky medical equipment for urgent treatment, or always be near a vehicle so they can be treated or driven to a place for treatment for a permanent illness
- you drive a vehicle regularly, have a severe disability in both arms and have considerable difficulty working parking meters
Hidden disability
You may qualify if you have a non-visible (hidden) disability, which means you:
- experience very considerable difficulty whilst walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress
- are at risk of serious harm when walking or pose a risk of serious harm to another person when walking
Organisational Blue Badges
An organisational badge may be issued to organisations that fulfil both of the following criteria:
- cares for and transports disabled people who meet one or more of the eligibility criteria for an individual Blue Badge
- has a clear need for an organisational badge rather than using the personal Blue Badges of people it is transporting
Apply for or renew a Blue Badge
Online
Completing your application using My account is the quickest and easiest way to apply for or renew a Blue Badge. It lets you to save, return to and track your application. Once you have submitted your application, it will go immediately to the Blue Badge Team for assessment and processing.
In October 2022 we moved to a new account system.
If you have not logged into My account since that time, you will need to register for new My account.
Apply for or renew a Blue Badge
By post
If you are unable to apply online, you can download and print an application form and return by post to:
Blue Badge Administration, Bracknell Forest Council, Adult Social Care Health and Housing, Time Square, Market Street, Bracknell, RG12 1JD
If you are unable to download an application form, phone the Blue Badge Team on 01344 351464 and they will post a form to you.
Make sure you fill in all relevant sections, including the declaration.
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Processing times
From the date an application is submitted (including all documentation and payment), it can take up to 12 weeks to begin to process a Blue Badge application. It may take longer if your documentation and payment haven't been received and/or you need to attend an Independent Mobility Assessment.
If you are renewing a Blue Badge, you should apply 12 weeks before your old badge expires.
Help with applying
Customer Services
Customer Services can provide advice on completing Blue Badge applications. You can contact them by:
- email: customer.services@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
- phone: 01344 352000
Local library
Staff at our libraries can also help you make an application. Application help is by appointment only. To make an appointment, contact your local library.
Time Square Community Hub
Staff at our community hub can also help you make an application.
Make sure you bring all the relevant items listed in the 'before you apply section' to your appointment.
Appeal against a decision
If we have refused your application, you can ask us to reconsider the decision within 28 days. Your request must be made in writing or through your My Account. You can include further information which may support a successful application.
If the decision remains not to award a Blue Badge, we'll write to you with a full explanation. Whether the review is successful or not, the decision is final.
The rules about eligibility for a Blue Badge have changed considerably. Even if you have been issued with a Blue Badge in the past, this does not mean you will be issued one again.
Lost or stolen Blue Badges
If your badge is lost or stolen, contact the Blue Badge administrator on bluebadge@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.
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