Blue Badge applications and non-visible disabilities - Find a freedom of information request

1. The number of applications made to your organisation for a Blue Badge in the 2018-2019 financial year and the number (or proportion if number is unavailable) of these applications that were successful and unsuccessful.
2. The total number of applications made to your organisation for a Blue Badge under the parts of recently-introduced Department for Transport (DfT) guidance around “non-visible” or “hidden” disabilities such as Autism and Anxiety and the number (or proportion if number is unavailable) of these applications that were successful and unsuccessful.

Where data do not exist for the financial year specified in part 1 above, please provide data for the most recent twelve months that are available. If data is provided that collectively covers both “visible” and “non-visible” disabilities, I request the data to be distinguished if possible. (For example, 100 total applications, of which 16 were for “non-visible” disabilities).

For part 2 above, please only include (if possible) data on those applications that are new and which have been made on the basis of the newly-included “non-visible” disabilities, for which DfT guidance has been issued this year.

If further break downs of data are present, for example numbers around applications that were sent to independent or external assessors before a final decision, then please include these too providing it requires no substantial additional work to do so.

Likewise, if applications went to appeal and the decision was subsequently altered, please include data on this if it is present alongside the data requested in parts 1 or 2 above.

1. 16,020 applications for a blue badge were received from April 2018 – March 2019 (97% were approved and issued)
2. From 30 August 2019 to 30 November 2019, Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) have issued 385 blue badges following an assessment under the new Hidden Disability criteria.

115 applicants applying under hidden criteria have had their application refused as at the end of December 2019. Refusal reasons include failure to supply evidence or supporting documents within 28 days and not meeting the criteria.

In relation to appeals data. Of the 2018/2019 approvals (under all criteria), nine had been through our stage 1 appeals process resulting in the decision being altered.