Hackney Council has abandoned its “flawed” scoring method used for evaluating applications for disabled parking permits, which led to the denial of blue badges for local residents.
The guidelines associated with this method were deemed to have created instances of “injustice.”
Councillor Christopher Kennedy, who oversees health and social care in the borough, announced that the council plans to reach out to all 149 individuals whose applications for permits were rejected since January 2024.
This decision followed an appeal from resident Mrs. D to the regulatory body after the council declined to renew her blue badge, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
In April, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Amerdeep Comal, concluded that Hackney’s “defective policy” contradicted government directives. He stated that it had made it “extremely challenging” for individuals with disabilities to obtain a permit and indicated that many more individuals may have been unjustly denied permits when they would have qualified under proper adherence to government guidance.
During a cabinet meeting at the Town Hall, Mr. Kennedy remarked that Hackney Council was complying with the regulator’s decision by apologizing to Mrs. D, compensating her £500, and providing her with the opportunity for another in-person assessment.
He clarified that the watchdog did not mandate the issuance of a blue badge to Mrs. D; rather, it indicated that she should receive a new evaluation free from the flawed scoring system.
Zöe Garbett, co-leader of the Greens, inquired whether the local authority had identified any insights from the situation to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
However, Mr. Kennedy responded that this was “quite challenging,” given the unique circumstances surrounding her initial blue badge issuance.
“Mrs. D received a permit without an in-person assessment during the pandemic,” he explained. “Her later request for a thorough review of our assessment process stemmed from inconsistencies observed between the outcomes of in-person evaluations and those conducted without physical assessments.”
He did acknowledge that the council had not “managed the situation very effectively” and admitted to poor communication with the resident, including errors regarding her date of birth.
In April, the oversight agency noted that the council had only “partially” acknowledged its findings and contested the assertion that it had perpetrated injustice.
A spokesperson from the Town Hall later informed the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the council accepted the findings but was “confident” that most blue badge applications were processed correctly, and committed to conducting a review to ensure that assessment procedures are “fair and robust.”
