Baker backs disabled parking badges reform

Norman Baker, MP for Lewes and Transport Minister, on Monday backed ministerial plans to attack abuse of the disabled parking scheme, in the first overhaul in the 40 year history of the scheme.

Under the plans local authorities will be given an on-the-spot power to recover ‘Blue Badges’ that have been cancelled or misused. A shared administration system would aim to improve efficiency and yield savings of some £20m a year. Authorities would also have the power to charge up to £10 for the badge in order to finance the improvements. The fee was previously capped at £2.

Baker said: “The Blue Badge Scheme makes a real difference to millions of disabled people every day. However, it is clear that it is in real need of modernisation after 40 years without major reform.

“Such are the high levels of fraud in the current system that 50 per cent of Blue Badge holders now find it difficult to get a parking space and Blue Badge fraud is estimated to cost £46m a year.”

Currently some 2.5m people qualify nationally for the badges which permit free parking in pay-and-display bays, at meters and on single- and double-yellow lines.

Plans to modernise the scheme have been welcomed by the British Parking Association who said “There is a widespread belief shared by disabled groups and motoring organisations that the Blue Badge scheme is utterly discredited by the amount of abuse and misuse it has undergone. There is a feeling that it is no longer serving the purpose it was originally designed for."

With parking a prime issue in Lewes - previously meters have been blown up with fireworks - a crackdown could either be seen as a vote winner or a tightening on locals’ parking rights.