Outrage at five-fold rise in disabled parking fees in crack down on Blue Badge fraud

December 30th, 2011

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

Old handwritten pass being replaced by electronic permit
Ministers hope new ‘secure as a banknote’ badge will reduce fraud

By
Ray Massey

Last updated at 12:24 AM on 30th December 2011

Millions of disabled drivers face a five-fold rise in the cost of a Blue Badge parking permit under a government crackdown on a £46million-a-year fraud.

In an attempt to thwart forgers, the old handwritten pass is being replaced by an electronically printed permit similar to a driving licence.

The new badge contains a hologram and digital photograph and is said to be ‘as secure as a banknote’.

Fraud crackdown: The new design will reduce the estimated £46million cost of Blue Badge fraud and save up to £20million in administration costs for councils

But the maximum charge, payable every three years when the permit is renewed, is to increase from £2 to £10 in England. It will be free in Wales and cost up to £20 in Scotland. Councils, however, have the power to charge less than the maximum.

Transport Minister Norman Baker said the new design, to be introduced on January 1, will reduce the estimated £46million cost of Blue Badge fraud and save up to £20million in administration costs for councils.

But Helen Dolphin, of Disabled Motoring UK, said: ‘Our charity’s position is clear. There should be no charge for a Blue Badge.

‘I know just how important the Blue
Badge scheme is for so many disabled people. From a personal
perspective, I would not be able to park close enough to the places I
need to go without my Blue Badge and so I would be considerably less
independent.’

The permits allow parking on yellow lines or in disabled bays.

Lifeline: Blue Badge passes are valid for three years and give holders the right to park free of charge

The Department for Transport estimates that one in every 200 of the 2.5million badges in circulation is being used by people not entitled to them. It also pointed out that the price increase was the first for 30 years.

The charity Disabled Motoring UK criticised the charges and advanced motoring group IAM called for a more stringent clampdown on misuse.

Blue Badge passes are valid for three years and give holders the right to park free of charge on yellow lines or in dedicated disabled bays and exempt the holder from the £10-a-day London congestion charge.

The Department for Transport estimates that one in every 200 of the 2.5 million permits in circulation – about 12,500 – are being used by people not entitled to have them.

Comments: Transport minister Norman Baker said motorists pretending to be disabled to get free parking were 'disgraceful'

Comments: Transport minister Norman Baker said motorists pretending to be disabled to get free parking were ‘disgraceful’

Up to half of those in use in some inner city areas are suspected to be fraudulent. Blue Badges have also fuelled a car crime wave and thousands have been stolen for sale on the black market at up to £1,500 each.

Heather Mills’ former chauffeur Stewart Simonson and millionaire dentist Dr Chirag Patel are among those fined for misuse.

Simonson, aged 65, was spotted using a photocopy of a permit issued to Sir Paul McCartney’s ex-wife whilst on a shopping trip in his Smart car six months after he had left her employment. He was ordered to pay a total of £660 – including a £175 fine – by Enfield magistrates.

Patel, 33, from Kingston, was caught using a Blue Badge belonging to his business partner’s dead father while parking his bright red £140,000 Ferrari California yards from one of his ten ‘Perfect Smile’ cosmetic dental practices.

Officials from Wandsworth council filmed him six times using the disabled badge in Putney, South West London, in December 2009.

In September this year he pleaded guilty to two counts of misusing the badge but denied a charge of fraud, which was dropped by prosecutors just as his trial was due to begin at South Western Magistrates Court in Battersea. He was fined £700 for each offence and ordered to pay £784 costs plus a £15 victim surcharge, amounting to £2,199.

Transport minister Mr Baker said: ’Motorists who pretend to be disabled to get some free parking are frankly disgraceful.

‘They prevent real Blue Badge holders from using parking bays for those genuinely in need and they cheat the vast majority of road users who play fair when they park their cars.’

Mr Baker added:’Our new Blue Badge will be as secure as a banknote and anyone thinking of faking it can forget it. We are also tightening up on enforcement and eligibility so there will be no way to scam the system.’

The IAM welcomed the new permit but called for the police and local councils to be given new powers to fine offenders.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: ‘In order to finance the improvements, the maximum fee for a badge that local authorities can charge will rise from £2 to £10.

‘This is the first increase in cost for 30 years and the Government believes that, in return, badge holders will benefit from less abuse, improved accessibility and better customer services.’

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
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Â£10 over 3 years is a very small price to pay especially if it reduces the number of people using badges fraudulently at the moment.

– Burtsie, Cornwall, 30/12/2011 06:07

with out my blue badge I could not retain my independence, being disabled with
the support of the mobility allowance allows me to keep a reasonable quality of life. No one should be allowed abuse the benefit given to those who need the support.
I often find able bodied bodied motorist’s parked in reserved spaces for disabled who then have to find alternative spaces.
A clamp down in abuse I support having seen the blatant disregard the purpose of the scheme supports.

– john fullarton, luton beds, 30/12/2011 05:38

Just visit Eltham, South East London, by the number of blue discs on display you’ld be forgiven for thinking the able-bodied are a minority.

– Flight Squadron Leader, Red Arrows Display Team, 30/12/2011 05:34

Why do they get their parking cars for free anyway? They should both be means tested!!

– Gary, Maldon, Essex., 30/12/2011 05:16

stormtrooper, your comments may have been correct at the time, but now, the user of the blue badge has to be either with the vehicle or return to the vehicle while the blue badge is displayed. The badge cannot be used on behalf of the owner of the badge – I know, Im a badge holder and have just checked the terms and conditions which come with.

– sbr, essex, 30/12/2011 05:15

The problem is the misuse of the blue badge – go to any large warehouse store (costco for example) and in the few blue badge spaces they have you will likely find large vans- clearly shop keepers etc buying stock, displaying a blue badge. The driver nor user of the badge is disabled, but granny sitting in the passenger seat is. This is blatant misuse, but legal as the owner of the blue badge is in the vehicle. It is a known problem that in many families the blue badge is passed from member to member and used as a form of free/easy parking –
– sbr, essex, 30/12/2011 04:22=========Actually that isn’t legal. The disabled person has to leave the vehicle, they cannot just sit in it. I found this out some years ago when I took my father out, parked in a disabled place and displayed the badge. We both then went shopping but towards the end my father got tired and went back to the car. When I returned later a traffic warden informed me he could have given me a ticket but wouldn’t this time.

– Stormtrooper, Bucks, 30/12/2011 04:49

I care for a blue badge holder. In the 12+ years of having one he’s only been asked to show the reverse side of it (which holds his photo) just the once as proof of ID. There is a bar code on his latest one which I assume can be swiped, but local parking wardens generally know most of the Blue Badge holders who regulary park in their area. A £10 admin cost is a minor amount over a three year period. If you’re in receipt of the the higher band of Mobility content of Disabled Living Allowance not driving a free Mobility car, you’d recieve almost £8,000.00 during that time plus free road tax. I can’t understand why the government are clamping down on this, but allowing scrap metal dealers have a voluntary code of checking the ID of persons selling scrap to them

– Sue T, Buckinghamshire, 30/12/2011 04:28

– sbr, essex, 30/12/2011 04:22

So instead of coming down heavily on the miscreants, the honest deserving are made to pay up instead. That’s the ‘British way’ these days I suppose.

– CliffH, Pattaya, Thailand, 30/12/2011 04:11

i, and a few hundred thousand amputees would, im sure, happily swap their blue badge, for a leg, or pair of legs which work…
face it, you’re fat, lazy, and simply don’t appreciate the fact that you can walk…
and, for the record, to qualify for motability, you must be able to walk less than 50yards..

– stuart , coventry, 30/12/2011 04:10

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