Blue Badge crackdown
31/10/2008
Over the last year, the Mature Times mailbag has been filled with letters from outraged readers about abuses in the system of Blue Badge parking for the disabled. Now the Government is to act - with the promise of a ‘radical overhaul of the Blue Badge scheme’ and up to £55 million to ensure that the scheme meets the needs of the 21st Century.
For the first time, the Government is seeking to give councils the power to confiscate stolen or forged Blue Badges immediately when they find them. The aim is to help reduce Blue Badge associated vehicle crime - as well as safeguarding key parking spaces close to vital services for those who need them most.
A Blue Badge allows almost unhindered parking across Europe - and a fine of up to £1,000 for misuse. But the experience of hundreds of our readers is that the system is open to widespread abuse. This review should enable more people than ever to retain their independence, including seriously disabled Armed Forces personnel and veterans, people with temporary but serious mobility problems, young children with specific disabilities and individuals with severe mental impairments.
Transport Minister Paul Clark said: “Two thirds of councils tell us abuse of the scheme is a major issue - and that around one in every 200 Badges in circulation are reported as stolen each year. And with forged or stolen Badges reportedly being sold on the black market for up to £1,500 a time, it is time to get tough and stop Blue Badge abuse and vehicle crime.
“Alongside this we need to make sure that everyone who needs a Badge receives one.”
To support immediate confiscation of misused badges, a £10m national data sharing system will be established by councils to ensure stolen or forged Blue Badges from outside their local area can be easily identified for the first time. The Department for Transport is also looking at new technologies to make Blue Badges harder to forge - including barcodes that can be read through windscreens.
Helen Smith, Mobilise Director of Policy and Campaigns, said: “We have been campaigning for a review of the Blue Badge scheme for many years and so welcome this announcement. Unfortunately too many people are misusing and abusing Blue Badges which means the scheme is no longer benefiting the people that it should.
“Only by ensuring that people meeting the qualifying criteria are issued with badges and that abuse of the scheme is taken very seriously will the scheme work again as it was intended.
“I therefore hope that this strategy will tackle these issues and ensure that disabled people are able to get out and about and park a lot more easily.”
A new system of assessing eligibility for the Blue Badge is also being developed with dedicated independent medical assessors, who will ensure that only those who really need a Badge receive one. This will standardise assessments throughout the country, and lighten the workload of GPs, who currently carry out individual assessments in many areas.