Grace period given to Redcar and Cleveland Blue Badge users after council backlog
A temporary grace period has been allowed for Redcar and Cleveland residents affected by a council backlog in dealing with blue badge parking applications
A temporary grace period has been allowed for Redcar and Cleveland residents affected by a council backlog in dealing with blue badge parking applications.
The council said staff illness had hit processing times and additional resources were being provided to tackle the backlog.
Blue badges allow people with disabilities or health conditions to park on yellow lines, in designated disabled bays and for free in pay and display car parks so they can be closer to their destination.
At a recent council meeting Eston ward councillor Stephen Martin claimed he had raised the “two to three month” backlog in January in attempting to assist an 82-year-old resident, who had since successfully received his new badge.
He described “poor timeframes” and said he wanted to know what was being done to speed up matters, also complaining that he did not receive a response from council leader Alec Brown after copying him into an e-mail exchange.
In a Facebook post last week Cllr Martin and fellow Eston councillor David Taylor said work was “ongoing to get processing times back to normal as soon as possible”.
The council’s deputy leader, Carrie Richardson confirmed that, in a temporary measure, a grace period had been allowed to support affected residents who were waiting for applications to be processed allowing them to carry on parking without potentially paying a fine.
A council spokeswoman explained: “Some Redcar and Cleveland residents who have applied for a blue badge, or for the renewal of an existing badge, have experienced delays in the processing of their application.
“We recognise that a blue badge is a lifeline for many residents, providing essential access to services and facilities.
“We would like to sincerely apologise to applicants who have been affected by these delays.
“The delays were caused by a period of significant staff illness, which resulted in a backlog of applications.
“The team is now back to its usual staffing numbers and the council will also be pulling in additional resources to help tackle the backlog.
“While some residents are receiving their badge within the usual timeframe, we recognise that this has not been the case for everyone and we are working as quickly as possible to return all applications to within the standard 28-day processing timescale.
“To support residents while applications are being processed, we have introduced a grace period for anyone holding an expired blue badge.
“This allows badge holders to continue using disabled parking spaces in council-run car parks and on roads under the council’s control without any enforcement action.
“Badge holders can also continue to park as normal at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough and the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton.”
The spokeswoman said that, with agreement with Middlesbrough, Stockton and Hartlepool councils, should a Redcar and Cleveland resident receive a parking charge notice for displaying an expired blue badge in those areas they should challenge the notice with the relevant council.
Consideration to overturning the notice will be given where evidence is provided that an application to renew or replace a badge has been submitted.