Sally Kendall and Caroline Fish Blue Badge Team Traffic Division

Sally Kendall and Caroline Fish

Blue Badge TeamTraffic Division

• Few changes made to the scheme since the 1970s• Current problems include:

• high levels of abuse and misuse of badges - estimated current cost of abuse is £46m pa

• increasing demand for badges and pressures to extend eligibility - forecast growth of 27% over next 10 years

• inconsistent administration and assessment • inefficient service delivery and customer service

Blue Badge Reforms

• Announcement made 14 February 2011• Reforms will bring significant change to the scheme and

will • ensure fairer allocation of badges to those most in

need• deliver efficiency savings and improve customer

services• allow improved and effective prevention of abuse and

enforcement• raise the badge fee to enable reform

• Changes will substantially be delivered by end 2011

Blue Badge Reforms

Measures to help ensure that badges are issued fairly and that the scheme is sustainable in the long term for those who rely on it most:

Reform measure Earliest delivery

Notes

Control of NHS spend on Blue Badge eligibility assessments transferred to local authorities

April 2011 Announced on 13

December

Publication of non statutory guidance on administration and eligibility assessments - informed by an independent review of local authorities’ current practices

May/June 2011

Subject to completion of research

New legislation to require wider use of independent mobility assessments to determine eligibility, including where previously that assessment was carried out by a GP

2012 Subject to secondary legislation

Ensuring fair allocation of badges

Reform measure Earliest delivery

Notes

Extend eligibility to more disabled children under the age of 3 with specific medical conditions

May 2011 Subject to secondary legislationProvide continuous automatic entitlement to

severely disabled service personnel and veteransMay 2011

Amend residency requirements for disabled Armed Forces personnel and their families posted overseas on UK bases

2013/14 Subject to primary

legislationResearch to inform a decision on whether or not to extend eligibility to people with a severe temporary disability

Decision to be taken later in 2011

Measures to help ensure that badges are issued fairly and that the scheme is sustainable in the long term for those who rely on it most:

Ensuring fair allocation of badges

Measures to help prevent abuse from happening in the first place and to deal with rising levels of fraud and abuse:

Reform measure Earliest delivery

Notes

Introduce a new badge design that is harder to copy, forge and alter. Implement via the Blue Badge Improvement Service new arrangements for secure printing and distribution to prevent fraud and to effectively monitor cancelled, lost and stolen badges

1 January 2012

Subject to contract

and secondary legislation

The Blue Badge Improvement Service will enable more effective detection of abuse by local authorities. Officers will be able to check details of new badges issued anywhere in England, Scotland and Wales

January 2012

Prevent abuse and improve enforcement

Guilloches/Fine Line Pattern

Common Standardised Serial Number

PVC material

Digital Photo Raised Braille Feature

Anti-photocopy Secure Hologram

2D Barcode

Raised Tactile Feature

Reform measure Earliest delivery

Notes

Introduce new or amended powers for local authorities to tackle abuse and fraud. In particular to:•extend the grounds available to local authorities to refuse to issue and to withdraw badges•provide local authorities with a power to cancel badges that have been lost, stolen, have expired, or have been withdrawn for misuse•provide local authority authorised officers with a power to recover, on-the-spot, badges that have been cancelled or misused•amend existing legislation to clarify wrongful use of a badge and the powers to inspect badges

End 2011

2013/14

2013/14

2013/14

Subject to secondary legislation

Subject to primary

legislation

Prevent abuse and improve enforcement

• New service available to all LAs in England, Wales and Scotland

• Will provide:– secure printing, personalisation and distribution of new badge

design– central database of all badge holders and badges on issue– on-line eligibility checker and on-line applications via directgov– other customer service improvements – fraud prevention – automated checks will be made at application

stage to verify information and prevent multiple applications – quick and easy enforcement checks, including via smart-phones– significant operational and other efficiencies – estimates of up to

£20 million per year

Blue Badge Improvement Service

Blue Badge Improvement Service

• DfT is arranging a five-year contract on behalf of all LAs – 93% supported idea in 2008

• System uses innovative, transactional-based, funding model

• Supplier is investing capital development costs in return for price per badge payable by LAs

• All LAs will pay the same price and receive the same level of service

• Price for whole service will be less than £5 per badge – DfT is raising the maximum fee LAs can charge for a badge to £10 to cover this and other admin costs

• System will comply with all HMG security and data protection requirements (it will run on GCSX and be accredited to IL3)

• Avoids need for LAs to invest in development of own systems and to find other resources from, eg. legal and procurement teams, ICT and security advisers

• System will offer better monitoring and control of badges, including ones reported as lost and stolen

• Common service levels and data standards have been agreed, as well as prices for additional opt-in services

• Issuing LAs will remain responsible for decisions on eligibility, referrals for mobility assessments, and residency/ID checks

Blue Badge Improvement Service

• System will offer other services:• Initial enquiry support service for LAs and public• Management reports• Helpdesk support for LAs• Quicker, easier renewals• Records management – records can move with

applicants• It can accept payments for badge fee

• And other optional services including:• Data entry service• Data update service• Fast tracked applications

Blue Badge Improvement Service

• Contract to be let early May 2011• Engagement and communications programme to

include:• Workshops from end of May onwards• Detailed information available on-line • Dedicated contact points• Training available from November

• Regulations specifying new badge design and higher fee to be laid in September

• Go-live for system, new badge design & higher fee – 1 January 2012

• Changes will apply to all new applicants, those renewing and those replacing badges

Next steps

• LAs will no longer be able to issue old badge design from 1 January 2012 so need to manage/reduce stock levels and securely destroy any left-over stock

• Issuing LAs – please sign-up to new system asap so supplier can help with change management and any other transition issues

• Sign up will be via an access agreement. Standard contract terms and conditions are being agreed

• Let us have your contact details so we can keep you in touch. Please email them to

[email protected]

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