Figures present one in 5 of the inhabitants in England has been awarded a Blue Badge to permit them to park nearer to their vacation spot
A report variety of permits have been issued (Picture: Getty)
One in 20 individuals maintain a Blue Badge in England, new figures have proven. Based on new information there have been 3.07m individuals authorised to carry one of many disabled parking permits throughout the nation as of March 31 final 12 months.
This was an elevated of 8% on the earlier 12 months with 5.2% of the inhabitants in England holding one of many paperwork. Now. native authorities, which difficulty the permits, have been referred to as on to sort out the fraudulent use of them with a warning they’re a “lifeline” for these genuinely in want.
The permits, which should be renewed each three years, goal to allow individuals with disabilities or well being circumstances to park nearer to retailers and providers for the whole lot from social events to well being appointments.
Press Affiliation has examined the most recent Division for Transport (DfT) information and located the the areas with the best and lowest percentages of badge holders have been the North East which had 6.1% and London at 3.5%. In 2019, eligibility for a Blue Badge was prolonged past individuals with seen disabilities, and now consists of these these with non-visible circumstances comparable to Parkinson’s, dementia and epilepsy.
They permit holders to park in specialist disabled bays or generally free in automotive parks. In addition they enable holders to park for as much as three hours on single and double yellow strains, and in London, holders are exempt from having to pay the £18 day by day congestion cost.
Greater than two in 5 of the badges issued in 2024/25 have been awarded with out additional evaluation. Nevertheless it’s believed as much as a fifth are being utilized by somebody who will not be entitled to make use of them.
AA president Edmund King mentioned: “The Blue Badge scheme is a mobility lifeline for thousands and thousands of reliable customers and their households. Our concern will not be absolutely the variety of badges issued however the estimates that as much as one in 5 badges could also be utilized by somebody apart from the holder or authorised consumer.
“Fraud is a matter which might embrace household misuse, use after demise, counterfeit badges and theft and resale of badges. We might welcome a crackdown on illegitimate use of badges to safeguard the deserving customers.”
A number of councils have reported prosecutions for blue badge misuse over latest months. Croydon Council in south London mentioned in January that seven individuals have been ordered to pay a complete of practically £6,000 in a mixture of fines, courtroom prices and a sufferer surcharge. The circumstances concerned badges which have been stolen, counterfeit or belonging to another person.
In December final 12 months, Barking and Dagenham Council, east London, mentioned 4 drivers have been convicted of unlawful Blue Badges use. Throughout the identical month, Gateshead Council, in Tyne and Put on, mentioned it prosecuted a driver for utilizing one other individual’s allow whereas in September 2025, Oxfordshire County Council reported two Blue Badge misuse convictions, together with a person caught utilizing his useless grandmother’s badge.
A Native Authorities Affiliation spokesperson mentioned: “Though the overwhelming majority of badges are used appropriately, there’s a small minority who fraudulently use different individuals’s, both to save cash by parking in disabled bays or by laziness, depriving somebody with a real want.
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“It is very important catch these criminals within the act. To assist councils win the struggle towards Blue Badge fraud, residents should maintain tipping councils off about individuals they think are illegally utilizing a badge, taking into consideration individuals’s want for a badge won’t be apparent.”
A DfT spokesperson mentioned: “Exploitation and abuse of the Blue Badge scheme is totally unacceptable and is a legal offence. Native authorities have been given improved powers to crack down on fraud and misuse of their space, and work intently with the police.”
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