Delays in blue badge scheme renewal

A disabled woman is concerned she will be without her blue badge for over a month due to problem with processing applications.

The woman, who does not wish to be named, received her renewal letter from North Lanarkshire Council three weeks ago ahead of her birthday, which is celebrated on Friday (March 9).

A blue badge holder for many years, she has gone through the renewal process several times and was shocked when she was told this it could take six to eight weeks for her new badge to arrive.

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She said: “Unfortunately I was unwell when the letter came in so I left it until last Monday to fill it in and take it along to Viewpark First Stop Shop.

“I’ve had a blue badge for the last seven or eight years and normally it only take two or three weeks for the renewal, so I was stunned when the girl at the desk said it would be six to eight weeks for the application to be processed.

“An elderly gentlemen was there at the time also renewing his blue badge and I won’t repeat what he said at being told this news.

“I knew that because I was a little late in getting to the office I might be without my badge for a week when it ran it on my birthday.

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“I could live with that, but not having it for over a month is a bit of a worry, I just don’t understand why if the council knew it was going to be six to eight weeks they don’t put the letters out earlier and tell us there is an issue.

“Had it arrived in January with two lines at the bottom saying there was a problem then I could have reacted accordingly, would that really have been asking too much?”

The Speaker understand the council has introduced a new system for dealing with blue badge applications and it is currently having some teething problems.

A council spokesperson said: “There is currently a delay in processing applications for blue badges as a result of operational changes, however we are working through applications as quickly as possible.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this is causing.”