Sally Kendall and Caroline Fish Blue Badge Team

Sally Kendall and Caroline Fish Blue Badge Team Traffic Division

Blue Badge Reforms • Few changes made to the scheme since the 1970 s • Current problems include: • high levels of abuse and misuse of badges estimated current cost of abuse is £ 46 m 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

Ensuring fair allocation of badges Ø 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 2012 Subject to secondary legislation New legislation to require wider use of independent mobility assessments to determine eligibility, including where previously that assessment was carried out by a GP

Ensuring fair allocation of badges Ø 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 Extend eligibility to more disabled children under the age of 3 with specific medical conditions Provide continuous automatic entitlement to severely disabled service personnel and veterans Amend residency requirements for disabled Armed Forces personnel and their families posted overseas on UK bases Earliest delivery Notes May 2011 Subject to secondary May 2011 legislation 2013/14 Research to inform a decision on whether or not to Decision extend eligibility to people with a severe temporary to be disability taken later in 2011 Subject to primary legislation

Prevent abuse and improve enforcement Ø 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 Wales January 2012

Digital Photo Raised Braille Feature Raised Tactile Feature Guilloches/Fine Line Pattern PVC material Common Standardised Serial Number 2 D Barcode Anti-photocopy Secure Hologram

Prevent abuse and improve enforcement Reform measure Earliest delivery Notes Introduce new or amended powers for local authorities to tackle abuse and fraud. In particular to: Subject to • extend the grounds available to local authorities End 2011 secondary to refuse to issue and to withdraw badges legislation • provide local authorities with a power to cancel 2013/14 badges that have been lost, stolen, have expired, or have been withdrawn for misuse Subject to • provide local authority authorised officers with a primary power to recover, on-the-spot, badges that have 2013/14 legislation been cancelled or misused • amend existing legislation to clarify wrongful use 2013/14 of a badge and the powers to inspect badges

Blue Badge Improvement Service • 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 • Df. T 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 – Df. T is raising the maximum fee LAs can charge for a badge to £ 10 to cover this and other admin costs

Blue Badge Improvement Service • System will comply with all HMG security and data protection requirements (it will run on GCSX and be accredited to IL 3) • 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

Next steps • 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

Actions • 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 bbes@dft. gsi. gov. uk