So... Where is my Blue Badge anyway? Documentation with less threats to vulnerable people and more helpful information is required

Lying in bed watching Brief Encounter this morning, I am wondering how Noel Coward might tell this story... ...well lets have a go

You see my story begins back in early November when I received a letter from  October 2018, the 23rd to be precise, the letter was from the London Borough of Haringey telling me that my son's blue badge will expire on 13/1/19.  It warned me that I must not use the badge after that date otherwise I will be liable to fines and other enforcement action.  I am required to cut up the badge.  It also said that I can apply for a new one at www.gov.uk/apply-blue-badge .

There was no additional information about how long the process might take or what documentation I require.

I felt alarmed and afraid and immediately dashed to my computer, not wanting to do anything to alarm the authorities or fall foul of the law.  As a parent of a severely disabled child I can neither afford to be without a blue badge, as we will be confined to home without it, nor can I afford the shame and financial burden of a fine.

I began the application on the  www.gov.uk/apply-blue-badge website, but quickly found that I needed additional paperwork and information. I needed

• the blue badge number (but my blue badge was in the car, and I cannot leave my disabled child alone to 'nip out' to get it); 
• all of my DLA letter; 
• proof of address; 
• my son's passport and 
• a letter from my son's school;
• A passport sized and style photograph of my paraplegic son (this is incredibly difficult with a person with is range and severity of disability)

Oh, I am in a but of a tizz now - none of this was mentioned in the initial letter from Haringey!   The letter from Haringey just has a list of the things that they would do to me if I did not sort out a new blue badge.

I immediately attended to this and sent an email the school for a letter and sorted out the other documentation.

Six weeks later I had  received all of the documentation required and I went back online to compete the application on the www.gov.uk/apply-blue-badge website, as I had been directed to do by the letter from Haringey.  I found I was unable to upload the documents - other than my son's photograph - and was then direct by the government website to send the 'missing information' by post or in person to my local authority.

It was on  the 18th December, and what with a severely disabled child to look after, the school holidays and Christmas, I was unable to get to the customer service desk until 31st December.  You see I work full time, as does the other Difficult Parent, and the customer service desk is only  open between 9am and 5pm on Mondays to Fridays - and if you arrive after 4pm, they will not see you.  I then had to come home, because I only had the front page of my son's  DLA letter - and they require to see all the other pages, you know the standard ones that do not pertain to your individual case,  but make all those threats about what will happen to you do not inform them promptly of a change of circumstance.

Finally having the application in, and the required documentation, I waited until I receive a letter on 21st January that told me to send a cheque to the local authority (which I posted, because there was no way I could get into the customer service desk again, given their restricted hours). This letter also says that within in 7 working days of receipt of the payment, the blue badge will be delivered.

I am still waiting for the Blue Badge. it still hasn't arrived. I called to check that they had received the payment on 4th February, because my cheque had not been cashed.  The operator said that the application had been approved by Haringey on 29th January 2019, and sent to the external company to print the badge.  I should then receive the blue badge within 7 - 10 working days.

Here is a list of idea's that might improve this system are:

1. Give vulnerable people the correct information at the outset about required documentation and the timescales involved
2. Please don't misdirected vulnerable people to the misleading government website, where it was not possible to complete the task of applying for a Blue Badge.
   
3. In the initial letter direct the vulnerable applicant straight to the Haringey webpage https://haringey.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-travel/parking/parking-permits/european-blue-badge-parking, where the information is more clearly laid out.
4. Include the information on page https://haringey.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-travel/parking/parking-permits/european-blue-badge-parking... in the letter as it does not list all of the documentation required
5. On the Haringey website  https://haringey.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-travel/parking/parking-permits/european-blue-badge-parking...it say that I could have emailed all of the documentation to concessionary.travel@haringey.gov.uk 
6. Arrange for electronic / telephone payment rather than pay by cheque through the post or in person

The consequences for our family is that we cannot go out to any place where we cannot park our WAV in a disabled parking bay without the risk of a fine and prosecution for misusing the out of date badge.  This includes going to appointments at hospital.