Sheffield blue badge applications delayed by council health issues

The council said it had redeployed staff to tackle a backlog in blue badge applications for car users with disabilities

A staffing shortage has led to a "considerable backlog" of blue badge applications for car users with disabilities in Sheffield.

Health issues and bereavements had hit the council team which processed applications", a meeting heard.

Staff from other services have been drafted in to help deal with demand.

Paul Taylor, head of customer services at Sheffield City Council, said: "It's a horrible situation and we're doing all we can to change that."

Mr Taylor said everything that could be done to ease the backlog was being done.

He said that included interviewing junior staff in the department who already understood the blue badge system, to fill more senior gaps in the team.

He hoped the usual 28-day turnaround in processing applications for people who were on benefits, which automatically qualified them for a badge, would be back in place within eight weeks.

The council said health issues and bereavements had hit the team which processed applications causing the delay

A grace period had also been brought in for badge holders who were making re-applications, which meant people with recently expired blue badges could continue to use them, he added.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said Mr Taylor had been responding to a request for an update on the blue badge system by Councillor Sioned-Mair Richards at a recent meeting of the council's audit and standards committee.

The situation had become more complicated since people with "hidden' disabilities" had been added to the list of those who could apply, he explained.

Councillor Joe Otten, chair of the waste and street scene policy committee, said in July: "The council is aware of issues with blue badge applications for some customers and would like to apologise for these delays."

He said the council was taking action to address the staffing issues causing the delays and expected the team which dealt with blue badge renewals "to be running at full capacity by the end of the year".