Most councils failing to prosecute people who abuse disabled blue badge parking scheme

Most councils didn’t manage to take action against a single motorist for misusing disabled parking permits last year, figures show.

The lack of action in the past 12 months, revealed through an analysis of Department for Transport data, comes despite thefts of the blue badges soaring.

According to the Press Association’s analysis, 94 out of 152 English local authorities (62%) did not pursue anyone for abusing the blue badge scheme in 2017/18, including Nottingham, Middlesbrough, Shropshire, Luton, Milton Keynes, Bournemouth and Reading.

The figure includes 31 councils who did not catch anyone despite claiming to have a policy for prosecuting offenders.

Across England, the largest number of prosecutions were made by the London boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham (137) and Newham (88), with Leeds (78) in third place.

Of the 1,215 prosecutions which were launched, almost every case involved drivers using someone else’s blue badge. And the figures come amid a 45% year-on-year increase in the number of blue badges reported stolen.

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Around 2.4 million disabled people in England have council-issued blue badges, which allow holders to park free of charge in pay and display bays and for up to three hours on yellow lines, as well as making those in London exempt from the congestion charge.

Phil Talbot of disability charity Scope said: “It’s disgraceful that so many local councils have failed to take action against people misusing blue badges – particularly at a time when thefts are on the rise.”

He said: “Stealing blue badges isn’t a crime without consequences. They are a vital lifeline for those who genuinely need them.

“Many disabled people rely on their blue badge to live independently, be part of the local community and contribute to their local economy.

“The police and councils need to do all they can to ensure they are serving their disabled residents by cracking down on this abuse.”

Martin Tett, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, representing councils, said: “Councils have to take tough decisions on targeting limited resources on enforcement.

“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.”