Blue Badge

Mupette

didn't pay for mine either


tbh anything that is in the mail is often wrong and just scaremongering.

tattonlady

I didn't pay for mine over ten years ago!

sunnyone

tattonlady wrote: »

I didn't pay for mine over ten years ago!

They dont last ten years, even when you have a lifetime award as was.

tattonlady

I didn't make it clear,when a badge was first given to me I didn't pay,I have of course renewed it since then and haven't paid a fee.
It must depend on the Local Authority.

pstuart

Just a reminder, we were fined for having our Blue Badge out of date when parked in Cornwall, please check yours.

Although I'm sure that you're not as forgetful as we are!

parsons

Safetyone wrote: »

According to the Daily Mail
How abuse of disabled parking permits could be cheating taxpayer out of £46m a year

Disabled drivers face tough new medical tests before they get 'blue badge' parking permits amid shocking evidence of fraud and abuse,,,,,,,,

Why caint this goverment just be honest and say that they are increasing the price of the Badge instead of excuses for the way they rob everyone includeing the less fortunate members of society

I think that you have to read between the lines on this one.
Most cases I would imagine are either based on the HRM of DLA (in which case that in itself should be enough), or a GP's referral. I cannot see that there is very much in the way of fraud or abuse going on with the applicant.

However, I can see and do know of cases where there is abuse and fraud and that is with others (other than the applicant) using the BB.

You only have to spend an hour watching those that use the BB's in a supermarket car park not to realise that there is a goodly proportion of people using the badge for their own convenience.

There are the people that have a BB which may belong to their mum/dad, but use it for their own purposes - picking the children up from school, going on holiday via airport parking, even going to sporting and music events to guarantee parking!
The O2 is a prime example as is the Millenium Stadium.
I went to a match there last year, and was shocked to see so many cars with BB's being used yet the vehicles contained upwards of 5 grown and fit men! Four of them obviously unfit to drive through drink - and that was before the match started!

It is so easy to abuse the badge. I could (due to family member receiving Attendance Allowance) claim a Carers Allowance. It would be illegal as I do not give the required number of hours a week. Also a BB would be given automatically, yet I know having it in my car all of the time, the temptation would be there to use it for my own purposes. Parking on yellow lines etc, instead of driving round looking for a parking place and paying for it.
I wouldn't use it however as if I was asked any questions it would be clear that it was not being used for the benefit of the applicant - the applicant lives 100's of miles away from me!!

Yes there is abuse, but not generally by the applicant - unless the applicant is allowing the abuse to happen.

savemoney

I hope they do clamp down on it, most of the abuse I see is people who dont leave blue badges and must be able bodied otherwise why park in a disabled space when you dont leave badge out

Most of the abuse I see is on private land unfortunately nothing is never done and this wont help either.

davsidipp

abuse is rife ,in our area they have clamped down in certain spots doing checks on bb one holder of a bb was not the recipent it belonged to their relative who had died 2 years ago.

sheep-ali

My local council ( South Ayrshire) charges £20 for the blue badge so it would appear to be a postcode lottery for charges.

Indie_Kid

davsidipp wrote: »

abuse is rife ,in our area they have clamped down in certain spots doing checks on bb one holder of a bb was not the recipent it belonged to their relative who had died 2 years ago.

I'm surprised they don't ask for the BB back once the owner has passed away.