Overview:

Key to names used

• Mrs D the complainant

Summary

Mrs D complained the Council refused to renew her Blue Badge. Our investigation has found fault in the advice given to staff who work at the Council’s assessment centre and assess Blue Badge applications.

Finding

Fault found causing injustice and recommendations made.

Recommendations

The Council has partially accepted our findings. It has agreed to offer an apology to Mrs D, a symbolic payment and make some changes to guidance it gives to staff who carry out Blue Badge assessments. However, we do not consider the apology offered or the proposed changes to its guidance go far enough.

So, the Council must consider the report and confirm within three months the action it has taken or proposes to take. The Council should consider the report at its full Council, Cabinet or other appropriately delegated committee of elected members and we will require evidence of this. (Local Government Act 1974, section 31(2), as amended)

To remedy the injustice caused to Mrs D the Council should:

• apologise to her, accepting all the findings of this investigation;
• make a symbolic payment of £500 to her to recognise the distress caused to her by its fault;
• agree to re-assess her eligibility for a Blue Badge once it has carried out a review of its existing policy as detailed below.

We publish guidance on remedies which sets out our expectations for how organisations should apologise effectively to remedy injustice. The Council should consider this guidance in making the apology we have recommended.

To ensure there is no repeat of the fault in this case the Council should complete a review of the supplementary guidance it gives to its assessment officers on scoring applicants who attend its Blue Badge assessment centre. It should ensure that guidance is compatible with its Mobility Assessment Guidance taking account of comments made in our findings.

Once the Council has completed the review above it should re-assess Mrs D’s application under the revised policy. It should also write to all applicants refused a Blue Badge since 1 January 2024 following an assessment at its assessment centre, drawing attention to this report and inviting them to re-apply.

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