Disabled drivers hit by parking abuse
Designated spaces and Blue Badges misused
DISABLED DRIVERS are being forced to abandon their journeys due to the “shocking” illegal misuse of designated parking spots by inconsiderate motorists who have been fined almost £55,000 in the last three years, an investigation by The Yorkshire Post has revealed.
Charities have said the “appalling” culture of misuse of both the Blue Badge scheme and designated disabled parking spaces was making life “incredibly tough” for disabled people across Yorkshire, leading to increasing social isolation – and have called on councils and police for a crackdown because they say it is going unchecked in many parts of the region. Figures released to The Yorkshire Post under the Freedom of Information Act show vast differences in how the region’s local authorities enforce Blue Badge and disabled parking space misuse.
While some councils, such as Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford and Kirklees, are actively pursuing those who abuse the system, large parts of North Yorkshire are going unchecked. Harrogate Council, which is partly responsible for enforcement on behalf of North Yorkshire County Council, in Harrogate, Craven and Selby, does not investigate cases of fraudulent use and did not issue a single fine for Blue Badge misuse over the period.
Across the region, 1,980 investigations into Blue Badge misuse or fraud took place from 2015 to 2017, with 295 badges seized either permanently or temporarily in this time.
The Blue Badge scheme allows drivers or passengers with certain disabilities a range of onstreet parking concessions, exemptions from paying in some car parks and the use of designated parking zones.
Examples of misuse include a family member or carer using the Blue Badge when the badge-holder was not present, using a stolen badge, or even, such as in one case prosecuted in Rotherham last month, using a deceased relatives’ badge.
During the period, 653 court convictions were made for misuse of a Blue Badge, and local authorities issued 1,279 fines. However, enforcement for misuse was dwarfed by penalty notices enforced for the incorrect use of a disabled parking space, which came to 54,183.
Chief executive of Disability Action Yorkshire Jackie Snape said: “Unfortunately there is still a culture of ‘I’m only popping in for a minute, so I’ll just park here it’s quicker’. What people don’t realise is that by doing that they may well be causing a disabled person to abandon their journey and go home, which may well increase the sense of social isolation that many disabled people report. It is totally socially unacceptable.” Richard Lane, head of communications at disability charity Scope, said while it was “good news” that some Yorkshire councils are punishing Blue Badge abusers, “too many councils” don’t take the issue seriously.
Chief executive of Disabled Motoring UK Graham Footer said the figures made for “shocking reading”.
It is totally socially unacceptable. Disability Action Yorkshire chief executive Jackie Snape.
THOUSANDS OF Yorkshire drivers are risking a criminal conviction by flouting the rules of the Blue Badge scheme for disabled people.
Councils across the region have held almost 2,000 investigations into Blue Badge misuse over the last three years, with many authorities pledging they will take offenders to court in an effort to show how seriously it is taken.
In September 2016, Sheffield City Council launched a renewed crackdown on Blue Badge misuse and the abuse of disabled parking spaces and by January this year had prosecuted almost 50 people for wrongful use of a Blue Badge, with more due in court in the coming weeks.
Paul Fell, the council’s strategic transport and infrastructure business manager, said while enforcement officers would previously issue penalties of £25 or £30 for parking on a double yellow lines, it was now following in the footsteps of “trailblazing” Rotherham Council in taking court action, which shared best-practice measures making the process easier for Sheffield to adopt.
“We have a small team of people carrying out investigations and interviews, because we recognise the importance of clamping down – it can make a difference,” he said. “People need to realise that if they are misusing a Blue Badge they will be held to account and the penalties are much more severe than a penalty charge notice – with fines of up to £1,000 and costs on top of that.”
Rotherham Council’s previous work on the issue saw it awarded Enforcement Team of the Year by charity Disabled Motoring UK in 2011.
Damien Wilson, the authority’s strategic director for regeneration and environment, said it takes Blue Badge misuse “very seriously”.
“If we catch drivers using Blue Badges without being entitled to do so, we will prosecute wherever it is in the public interest,” he added.
Leeds has led the way with the number of successful convictions for misuse in recent years, with 454 from 2015 to 2017. It is also gave out 627 penalty notices for Blue Badge misuse, and 14,458 for the wrong use of a disabled parking space. It began focusing on the issue in 2012, and has since received plaudits from the Department for Transport for its enforcement work.
A Leeds City Council spokeswoman said: “We take a no-nonsense approach to Blue Badge misuse and prosecute anyone we find abusing it.
“The system is designed to make life easier for those who genuinely need it. Abusing a Blue Badgee inconveniences others and puts people at a disadvantage which is simply unfair.”
The number of penalty charge notices given to those using disabled parking bays without a Blue Badge was also high in Bradford and Kirklees, with 11,405 and 6,482 notices over the three years respectively.
A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “We will not tolerate the fraudulent misuse and abuse of these badges. People who misuse Blue Badges are denying those who genuinely need to park close to their destination because of a disability the right to do so.”
Kirklees Council’s strategic director for economy and infrastructure Karl Battersby said: “As a council we are committed to the Disabled Blue Badge Scheme and have a zero tolerance approach to those who abuse it.”
IT GOES without saying that the overwhelming majority of motorists are totally respectful of disabled drivers – and their needs. The issue, as is so often the case, is a thoughtless minority whose selfishness undermines the legitimacy of the much-cherished Blue Badge scheme which is a lifeline to the less mobile.
The problem is twofold. First, those individuals who use the parking privileges afforded by this special permit when they have no legal entitlement to do so. Second, those perfectly health and drivers who, for their own inconvenience, hog spaces that have been specifically designated for the disabled.
Neither is acceptable and The Yorkshire Post congratulates those councils in the region, like Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford and Kirklees, that have embraced Rotherham’s pioneering work and are now clamping down on those offenders whose actions have, on occasion, forced drivers with disabilities to abandon their journeys.
Yet, at the same time, this newspaper condemns those local authorities, predominantly in rural areas, which appear to be turning a blind eye to such abuse. Though genteel Harrogate is famed for its respectfulness, it beggars belief that not a single fine has been issued for Blue Badge misuse in the past three years.
However, though the more enlightened councils are taking offenders to the courts with greater frequency, the penalties are still modest. How about local authorities taking a principled decision to publish details of every successful conviction? With luck, the humiliation of this badge of shame will deter others from doing likewise.