Issue - meetings

[Report of the Director for Environment and Neighbourhoods. To be introduced  by the Cabinet Member for Cabinet Member for Transformation and Public Realm]

To consider the  Cabinet response to  the Scrutiny Review]

Cllr Ahmet, Chair of Overview and Scrutiny, introduced the item, outlining that there had been Environment and Community Safety scrutiny review of the administration of the Disabled Blue Badge Scheme. It was noted that, through this review, scrutiny had been involved in policy development which was very positive and Cllr Ahmet thanked the Cabinet Member for engaging throughout the process. It was noted that the panel felt that it could have spent more time scrutinising this topic, particularly the introduction of designated disabled bays. Although it was acknowledged that the Cabinet Member had been eager to implement improvements in this case, the panel’s views on ensuring suitable timelines were reflected in recommendation 1.

It was explained that there had been lots of contributions from residents during this review and that 21 recommendations had been made over five categories: dedicated disabled bays, applying for and renewing a blue badge, enforcement and blue badge related crime, correspondence and communication, and assessments for discretionary blue badge applications.

The Cabinet Member for Transformation and Public Realm Investment acknowledged the work undertaken by the panel, staff, agencies, and residents and noted that the report proposed to accept all but two of the recommendations. It was explained that recommendations 11 and 12 were not agreed. In relation to recommendation 11, there were insufficient funds to invest in anti-theft devices for blue badges. It was also noted that a companion badge had been introduced which allowed blue badges to be kept at home; this was only valid in Haringey but discouraged theft as it was ineffective for others. In relation to recommendation 12, it was not agreed that blue badge theft should be included in the Community Safety Partnership work plan as this would not connect with its terms of reference or its role as a strategic partnership. It was added that the Council already worked with the police on the misuse of blue badges and that the quarterly strategic partnership would be a more appropriate forum.

It was also noted that recommendations 16 and 21 had been partially agreed. For recommendation 16, it was considered that the ability for next of kin to inform the Council when a disabled bay user was deceased duplicated the ‘Tell Us Once’ service which allowed relatives to notify various services through one point of contact and which included blue badges. For recommendation 21, it was clarified that the Council could not retender the service as it was a partnership with the NHS rather than a contract. However, it was agreed that alternatives could be explored to provide additional assessment centres.

The Cabinet Member expressed that the end of the review was not the end of the process. It was highlighted that these recommendations would be made into a Disabled Parking Action Plan and that this was specifically included in the Cabinet Member responsibilities. It was explained that the Council was investing in IT systems to improve case management for disabled parking and was coproducing solutions with residents to ensure that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 319