Agenda item

A briefing on the Blue Badge process and criteria for award is enclosed.

 The following officers will attend to present and take questions:

·  Shaidi Khan, Accessible Transport Manager, Customer and Exchequer Services

·  Michelle Peake, Head of Specialist Services, Housing and Modernisation

The chair drew members’ attention to the briefing on the Blue Badge process and criteria for award. She then invited the following officers to present and take questions:

· Shaidi Khan, Accessible Transport Manager, Customer and Exchequer Services

· Michelle Peake, Head of Specialist Services, Housing and Modernisation

Members were then invited to ask questions and the following points were made:

·  Officers were asked about help to fill out the form and officers explained that MySouthwark service point offers advice and information Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, based at Peckham Library. People can book a 30 minute appointments and officers will do the application with the resident, if needed.  This can take an hour, which will be accommodated. There is also self-service access to computers, with floor workers to assist.

·  Members suggested advertising this service further, including on the Blue Badge webpage, and officers acknowledged there was more that could be done and provided reassurance this would be taken forward. Members asked for information so they can assist with alerting constituents.

·  Officer were asked if a similar facility could be opened in the north of the borough. Officers said previously there were more locations to get assistance but budget cuts meant these have been cut back. Officers are now exploring libraries, but this would take additional resources and so this would be a cabinet decision, and if agreed would take time to implement.

·  Members asked if home visits can be done and were advised that there is a benefit service that visits people in homes, if required.

·  Members asked if it would be possible for people with ongoing disabilities or degenerative conditions to have an automatic renewal rather than yearly assessments, which can be very difficult to arrange. Members’ spoke of the difficulty in obtaining medical opinion, particularly for conditions where visiting a specialist is rare, alongside the current pressure on the NHS. They asked if it was possible to have a more compassionate system and recommended looking at Haringey Council, which has taken steps to renew deaf peoples’ applications.

·  Officers said will look at Haringey to see what more can be done. They explained that the Blue Badge process is a national system. It does allow some automatic renewals such as people who are blind. There are also some neurodegenerative conditions where this is possible. Officers said, however, it can be difficult to continue and application with a change of borough as then new data is often required. It is also possible for officers to access some information required for the application, depending on data protection. Officers said they do check every system to increase automation. However officers said there are some occasions where conditions and circumstances can change and there is also sensitive data that the council do not hold on to. Officers undertook see what more they can do.

·  Officer were asked about recovery of the estimated value of a Blue Badge (£700) in the case of fraud and officers said they work closely with the fraud team to recover losses.

·  Member noted that the appeal success rate is high at 52%. Officers said that the appeal process is a way of guiding of people to provide extra information. One of challenges is that some people do not feel comfortable sharing sensitive information. Members suggested that in that case using words such as  ‘review and reconsideration’ would be a better way of communicating to applicants that they did not meet the threshold for acceptance,  rather than refusal and officers provided assurance that this is their approach.