Following the complaint I made to Sandwell Council about my Blue Badge Application, a few days ago I received a response. My main complaint had been them requesting a copy of my full PIP Award which I argue had been a breach of my privacy.

Due to the nature of the mobility element of my award and that this has been awarded indefinitely, they have acknowledged that they made a mistake in requesting the full PIP documentation. They have apologised for “…the distress caused by asking you for a level of detail about your personal circumstances that we did not  require.” Although I wish it hadn’t had happened, I really appreciate the acknowledgement of their mistake and the apology.  I would urge anyone who has been given an indefinite award with 8 points or more in the mobility section, to be aware that you are not required to hand over all your personal information.

The council argue that in some circumstances, they do require the whole document. I still do not understand this as the need for a Blue Badge relates to mobility needs and information about personal care needs seems to me totally irrelevant but this is something I will be researching and blogging about in the near future.

The council also acknowledged my comments about how inaccessible the process of applying for the Blue Badge is but they didn’t address how it would be improved so I intend to follow this up with the Department of Transport. If issues of inaccessibility are raised by disabled people, they need to be more than just acknowledged. They need to be properly addressed.