Northumberland County Council clamp down on the misuse of Blue Badges

The Blue Badge scheme is designed to help disabled people park closer to their destination by providing a clearly visible badge which can be put in the front windscreen when parked.

The council claim that there is a small minority who misuse other people’s Blue Badges, to save money by parking in disabled bays or to park closer to where they want to go.

The Corporate Fraud Team and Civil Enforcement officers work together to highlight and tackle blue badge fraud and misuse. Over recent months 11 Blue Badges have been cancelled that were being used inappropriately.

There has also been one prosecution which resulted in a fine and 27 penalty charge notices issued along with a formal written warning.

Northumberland County Council leader Gordon Stewart, said: “The Blue Badge parking scheme is key for residents with mobility problems or hidden disabilities, allowing them to park their vehicle close to their destination, either as a passenger or the driver.

“However, misuse of blue badges is not acceptable and means that those who genuinely need to use these parking spaces can find themselves displaced by people who do not.

“Often misuse is by relative who is not eligible to use the Blue Badge which belongs to a family member and our civil enforcement officers are quite right to take this positive action.

“As a council we are committed to supporting those genuine users who need access to parking spaces to lead more active and independent lives.”