Banishing the Blue Badge blues

The coalition Government recently announced a series of measures which, reports Helen Dolphin, represent a tougher clampdown on Blue Badge abuse

Finding an accessible parking space when you’re a Blue Badge holder is like finding a needle in a haystack – mainly because of abuse and misuse of the Blue Badge scheme. This is a problem I’ve been banging on about for many years but I’m pleased to say at long last the Government has announced some major reforms to stop abuse of this scheme.

Speaking at an event which launched the changes which were introduced in February, Transport Minister Norman Baker said: “The changes I am announcing will crack down on Blue Badge misuse, modernise the system and extend eligibility to other groups such as more disabled children under three and severely disabled war veterans and service personnel. These improvements will mean that Blue Badge holders get a much better service for less than 1p per day.”

One of the new measures being introduced to help combat fraud is a new badge design. Having seen the new style badge it certainly looks harder to forge or tamper with than the current handwritten cardboard design. Several security features have been added including a picture on the front which can only be seen when UV light is shone on it. Badge holders should start to see these new style badges being introduced at the end of the year.

Another reform which many disabled organisations have requested is a data-sharing system. At the moment many councils just do not know when a badge holder has died and over 16,000 badges have currently been identified as still being used in England despite the fact that their registered holder is dead.

By having a data sharing system Civil Enforcement Officers will be able to check whether  badges issued anywhere in England are genuine. Local authorities have also been given an on-the-spot power to recover badges that have been cancelled or misused.

Kelvin Reynolds, Director of Operations and Technical Services at the British Parking Association, said: “We are delighted that these measures will be introduced as it will allow genuine Blue Badge holders an improved service, and provide local authorities the means to more effectively manage and enforce the scheme. Abuse, misuse and fraudulent use of Blue Badges should become a thing of the past; everyone should welcome this.”

Paul Slowey of Blue Badge Fraud Investigation Ltd, which investigates Blue Badge abuse on behalf of councils, said: “In some city areas up to 50% of badges are being wrongly used. If the use of Blue Badges is enforced properly then the scheme will function as it should”.

But it’s not just abuse of the scheme which is a problem. Across the UK local authorities have not exactly been following the eligibility criteria.

Some, for example, have been issuing badges to people who were a certain age regardless of whether or not they had a disability. There has also been criticism that a GP is not the best person to determine if someone should have a Blue Badge and so the Government wants to see a wider use of independent mobility assessments. To fund this, local authorities have been given control of National Health Service spend on Blue Badge assessments.

Most disability organisations welcomed these reforms and Dai Powell, Chair of DPTAC said: “These proposals can bring us one step nearer to a fairer and more consistently applied scheme.”

I welcome any reforms that stop the horrendous abuse of this scheme and ensure disabled people can park when they need to. I just hope that local authorities take these reforms on board and I look forward to being able to park a lot easier in the future!