Two-fifths of councils fail to record misuse of disabled parking bays

• Only 43 per cent of councils record misuse and abuse of the Blue Badge scheme.
• There were only 4,815 reports of misuse across the entire UK in 2021 and 585 prosecutions.
• Disabled Motoring UK says it receives frequent reports of miuses of the scheme. 

Local authorities are failing to clamp down on misuse of disabled parking bays, with only 43 per cent of councils that responded to a freedom of information (FOI) request saying that they record misuse and abuse of the Blue Badge scheme.

If a member of the public suspects a Blue Badge is being used wrongly (for instance, it is being used by someone other than the Blue Badge holder) or they see a vehicle persistently parking in a disabled bay without displaying a Blue Badge, they should report it to the local authority. 

However, according to the FOI, which 180 of 207 councils responded to, only 57 per cent recorded this data. 

According to the responses, there were 4,815 reports of misuse across the entire UK in 2021.

Disabled Motoring UK (DMUK), which carried out the FOI, said it was “alarmed” that so many local authorities do not record reports of misuse and abuse of the scheme. 

DMUK’s communications and campaigns director Heidi Turner said: “We receive frequent reports and online comments about Blue Badge abuse in areas throughout the UK.

“We don’t have any hard data on the scale of the problem but cannot believe it is just 5,000 cases."

Ideally, councils should be enforcing the Blue Badge scheme by asking traffic wardens to inspect Blue Badges to make sure the holder is present. 

Turner said that often a friend or relative of the Blue Badge holder is using a badge and that means they are taking a “valuable space” away from another Blue Badge holder who needs it. 

However, the DMUK said that some local authorities are “doing great work in enforcing the scheme and holding abusers of it to account”.

The FOI revealed that 585 prosecutions took place in 2021, resulting in £121,507 in fines for abusers of the Blue Badge schemes and costs totalling £146,661.35.

Commenting on the findings, a Local Government Association (LGA) spokesperson said: “Councils take Blue Badge fraud seriously and are working hard to combat it. Gathering evidence and mounting a prosecution can be time-consuming and expensive but councils know their areas and are best placed to decide the most effective way to tackle it.

"Illegally using a Blue Badge is not a victimless crime." LGA spokesperson 

“Illegally using a Blue Badge is not a victimless crime. For disabled people, Blue Badges are a vital lifeline that helps them get out and about to visit shops or family and friends. Residents are urged to contact their council about people they suspect are illegally using a badge, bearing in mind people's need for a badge might not always be obvious.” 

The FOI found that there are 66,612 people across England who receive a Blue Badge because of a hidden disability, such as an anxiety disorder or a brain injury.