Ealing Council Apologises for Mishandling Blue Badge Application
Watchdog urges borough to review initial rejection
Resident says her mobility had deteriorated further since initial application
January 17, 2026
Ealing Council has apologised for failing a disabled woman in its handling of her Blue Badge application.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) upheld the complaint and urged Ealing Council to reconsider her application. The woman, referred to as Mrs X in the report, complained that the council did not take all of her ailments into account.
She said that she relies on her family members to take her to appointments, and wants the council to give her a Blue Badge. In her appeal, Mrs X said that her mobility had degenerated further since her first application due to difficulties in her leg.
The council’s appeal response listed evidence provided by Mrs X, however it did not demonstrate how it considered the evidence, or the additional information provided by Mrs X concerning her mobility. The watchdog says that resulted in “avoidable uncertainty” for Mrs X as to how the council considered her appeal.
The Ombudsman asked the council to “consider remedying the injustice caused to Mrs X” by reviewing her Blue Badge appeal. According to the report, the council contacted Mrs X who chose to proceed with a desk-based assessment.
If Mrs X’s appeal is unsuccessful, the council has agreed to write to her setting out the reasons for this. It has also agreed to provide the Ombudsman with evidence that it has followed these steps.
An Ealing Council spokesperson said: “We apologise for our failings in this case. We will carry out another review of the individual’s Blue Badge appeal and if their appeal is unsuccessful we will let them know why.
“Supporting residents with extra needs is a top priority for us and we recognise there is more work to do to ensure every resident receives a consistently high level of service.
“We are committed to ensuring our Blue Badge assessments are fair, consistent and transparent, and we will strengthen our internal processes and act on feedback so we can continue to improve and deliver the best experience for all our service users.”
Last week, Ealing Council was forced to apologise after the LGSCO ruled that it had failed to ensure a child received speech and language therapy for over a year.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman forced Ealing Council to pay the affected family £700 compensation and has urged the council to review its commissioning arrangements to prevent similar failures in future. Ealing Council agreed and apologised to the family concerned.
Philip James Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter
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