Blue Badge scheme

A member of the concessionary travel team will contact you within 12 weeks from when you submit your application to confirm whether:

• your application has been successful
• you need to attend a mobility assessment or
• your application has been unsuccessful
• additional documents are required

If you are requested to submit additional documentation, you will have 12 weeks to provide the necessary information to support your application. If you fail to do so within this timeframe, you may need to reapply.

Right to Review and Appeal

If your application is unsuccessful, you can request a stage 1 review or a stage 2 appeal within 4 weeks of the outcome. You cannot appeal a decision without going through a review.

Stage 1 - Request to Review 

To request a stage 1 review of the unsuccessful application you must write to us giving an explanation of why you feel the decision is incorrect and how you feel you meet the eligibility criteria.

Complete this stage 1 review form to request a review of the decision. The Concessionary Travel Team will acknowledge your review request within 5 working days of receipt.

Your application will be assessed against the scheme’s eligibility criteria by an Independent Expert Assessor. After considering your ‘Stage 1 - Right to Review’ the outcome will either be:

• Successful, and you will be sent confirmation or
• Unsuccessful and you will be sent reasons for the decision. 

You will receive the outcome of your review within 4 weeks of the completed request. If, after the Stage 1 review your application is still unsuccessful, you have the option to proceed to a Stage 2 Appeal.

Stage 2 - Appeal your application

If your stage 1 review is unsuccessful, you can appeal to the RBK Blue Badge Appeals Panel. You can request an appeal by completing this stage 2 review form stating the reason why you feel that your application was not appropriately addressed during the Stage 1 review. The second-stage appeal does not involve a re-assessment of the medical situation.

Once you submit the appeal form our Democratic Services Team will contact you with further details about the blue badge appeals panel.

The RBK Blue Badge Appeal Panel Committee's role is to:

• Ensure the correct process was followed during the initial assessment and review.
• Consider your appeal and any new information provided.

If the process was not followed, your application will be sent back to the Concessionary Travel Team for reassessment. If new information could change the outcome, the team will review your application again, possibly involving another mobility assessment.

Subsequent applications

If your application was unsuccessful at any stage. You can apply again 6 months after the final decision notification without it affecting your new application.

If you applied for Blue Badge but later become eligible through one of the automatic qualifying criteria within these 6 months, you can reapply with the required supporting documentation