The man, who’s asked to stay anonymous, said the ‘ordeal’ kept him ‘trapped in the house’(Image: Copyright Unknown)

A disabled man’s months-long battle to renew a blue badge has come to an end — with Manchester council telling him he should never have had one in the first place.

The 41-year-old from Harpurhey, who asked to stay anonymous, was given a blue badge in 2022. He receives the personal independence payment (PIP) because he suffers from mental and physical health conditions.

They make planning and completing journeys difficult on public transport, and his ‘incontincence’ means he ‘cannot stray far away from a toilet’, leading him to use a car.

But after applying to renew his blue badge in January, Manchester council told him he was ineligible for a new pass six months later — because he should never have been given one.

“My symptoms were getting worse and they are saying I was eligible three years ago and now they are saying I’m not eligible,” the psychologist said. “It’s been a very long ordeal. None of this is fair.”

The saga took half-a-year because of various appeals and complaints lodged in the process, which the man said ‘was making me feel suicidal’.

He added: “I felt trapped in the house. I said to my partner, I was going to kill myself just to prove a point.”

In the course of the process, he lodged a formal complaint about a decision made by a council officer, and then told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the officer ‘was asked to investigate the complaint against herself’, leading him to make another complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman.

A spokesperson for Manchester council said five different staff members from its ‘Manchester Equipment Adaptation Partnership’ team dealt with either his complaints or appeals during the course of the investigations, but accepted that could have included the original officer in question.

The authority also said when his blue badge was issued in 2022, it was done so after an officer did not apply government guidance correctly, but warned him at the time he was not entitled to an automatic renewal.

The spokesperson said: “We provide blue badges in line with the legislation set out by the Department for Transport which is a standard process that all authorities adhere to in awarding or renewing a blue badge application. This process is subject to strict criteria and applicants must reapply every three years to renew their badge.

“In this case we understand that it is a difficult outcome for the applicant but on applying to renew his badge we explained why he did not meet the criteria for an automatic blue badge renewal and apologised for any confusion caused by the original decision to award the blue badge in 2022.

“Although he qualifies for a Personal Independent Payment, this does not mean automatic eligibility for a new blue badge. He currently does not meet all the criteria required to be eligible for a blue badge under the Department for Transport guidance.

“He has made subsequent appeals to the Manchester Equipment and Adaptations Partnerships which have been reviewed, and the decision remains that he is not eligible

“We have to ensure that badges are only issued to residents who satisfy one or more of the eligibility criteria set out in the legislation that governs the scheme. Under no circumstances should anyone who does not satisfy at least one of the criteria receive a badge.”