Over 34,000 blue badge applications were received by the county council last year, the administration has revealed.

Hampshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and passenger transport Lulu Bowerman said that about 6,000 more applications to assess eligibility were received compared to pre-Covid levels.

She added that between January and March this year, the average processing time for blue badge reapplications was between 7.5 weeks and 11.4 weeks from the date the application was received to when a member of the blue badge team assessed it.

Cllr Bowerman said that due to the high volume of applications received, all blue badge applications are currently taking more than four weeks to process.

She said: “The DfT [Department for Transport] advises that local authorities usually make a decision within 12 weeks. That’s the guidance. So these figures exclude applications received via the fast track application route for those with a life-limiting condition, which are normally prioritised and processed within 48 hours of receipt.”

According to the cabinet member, officers also prioritised applications from existing blue badge holders, so when an applicant continues to qualify for a blue badge, there is no period for which an individual is without a valid badge.

Cllr Keith House said the “interesting” data showed a rising elderly population and, therefore, a rise in demand.

However, he asked whether she was satisfied with the performance since it can take almost three months to process a renewal.

Cllr Bowerman added that she will investigate why it’s taking such a long time, “if we can make improvements, it would be good to do so.”