originally publish by Fraud against Blue Badges tackled with National Action Day
Council parking officers and fraud investigators from Veritau – the organisation that investigates fraud on behalf of the council – worked together to check the use of Blue Badges across the city.
On the day of action, 2 June 2023, 84 badges were checked across the city. 2 Penalty Charge Notices were issued and a badge was confiscated because the Blue Badges were being used by people who weren’t badge holders, or who weren’t supporting the badge holder.
The Blue Badge scheme is designed to help disabled people park closer to their destination. Their badge must be visible in the front windscreen of their car when parked in a designated space or on double yellow lines where appropriate. A Blue Badge must only be used when the owner is present, or the driver is parking specifically to pick them up or drop them off.
Although almost all Blue Badges are used correctly, there is a small minority who fraudulently use other people’s badges, either to save money by parking in disabled bays or who just want to park closer to their destination. It’s an offence to misuse a Blue Badge, with offenders facing possible prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.
Last month (May 2023), Magistrates fined a visitor to the city who misused a Blue Badge and so wrongly took a designated parking space.
York Magistrates ordered Thomas Prior, 68, of Waterside Road, Barton-upon-Humber, to pay a fine for misusing a deceased family member’s Blue Badge in August last year. An investigation into the misuse was conducted by Veritau following a report from a civil enforcement officer. The officer had noted that the expiry date on a displayed Blue Badge had been altered to give the impression that it was still valid.
On 12 May 2023, Mr Prior submitted a postal guilty plea to the Court for the wrongful misuse of the Blue Badge. He was ordered to pay £1,652.67 which included a fine of £600, costs of £812.67 and a court surcharge of £240.