Northumberland County Council clamp down on misuse of blue badges
Northumberland County Council has intensified efforts to combat the misuse of the national Blue Badge scheme, which provides essential parking privileges for disabled individuals. While most badges are used appropriately, a minority exploit them to secure convenient parking or evade fees.
The council’s Corporate Fraud Team and Civil Enforcement Officers have recently:
- Cancelled 11 Blue Badges found to be misused.
- Prosecuted one individual, resulting in a substantial fine.
- Issued 27 penalty charge notices accompanied by formal warnings.
Councillor Gordon Stewart, Cabinet Member for Looking After Our Communities, emphasized the scheme’s importance for residents with mobility challenges and condemned its misuse, often by relatives of badge holders. He affirmed the council’s commitment to ensuring genuine users have access to necessary parking spaces.
In response to a trend of organizational badge misuse, the council is reviewing all such badges to confirm their proper use and possession. Organizations are urged to cooperate with this review.
The council encourages the public to report suspected Blue Badge misuse anonymously via their fraud hotline at 01670 624359 or through an online form available at nland.uk/fraud.
This initiative underscores Northumberland County Council’s dedication to preserving the integrity of the Blue Badge scheme and supporting residents who rely on it for mobility and independence.
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