Latest news with #bluebadge
BBC News
01-07-2025
- BBC News
Amnesty for fake parking permits and blue badges in Brighton
A council is launching an amnesty for people to hand in concessionary blue badges, parking permits and bus passes that are being used & Hove City Council said it wanted to give residents the opportunity to hand in passes, badges or permits they shouldn't be using, "no questions asked".A Worthing resident with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), who wished to remain anonymous, said the action could not come soon enough, adding: "I can't tell you how often people that don't have blue badges park in disabled spaces."Anyone with a pass, badge or permit that is out of date or that is being used incorrectly can take it to Hove Town Hall letterbox and Brighton Town Hall letterbox. The resident with MS told BBC South East that he often had to confront people when trying to park his mobility car."If they don't have a good reason for parking there, then I tear a strip off them and give them a piece of my mind," he is a condition that affects the central nervous system, and his symptoms include neuro muscular fatigue, he said. 'Simply destroy it' Concessionary bus passes for older and disabled people are a lifeline for thousands of people in Brighton and Hove, the council Trevor Muten urged people to take advantage of the amnesty, which will run throughout July and August."This type of fraud is not a victimless crime. It has a real impact on people who need them the most to get around Brighton and Hove," he said."I'd urge anyone with a pass, badge or permit they shouldn't have to hand it in or simply destroy it themselves."In 2023-24, enforcement and investigation officers carried out monthly joint action days with Sussex Police as part of Operation that time, 279 blue badges were retained by officers due to misuse, 197 community resolution orders were completed and 56 prosecutions were issued for fraudulent use of a blue badge, the council said.
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Hospital parking charges in Lincolnshire to rise by up to 150%
Parking charges at some hospitals in Lincolnshire will increase from next month, with one going up by 150%.The United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust has revealed a new pricing structure for its sites at Lincoln, Boston and Grantham, which will come into force on 1 up to 30 minutes will be free of charge, but stays of up to four hours will increase from £2 to £ Parkhill, group chief estates and facilities officer, said the trust had kept charges to a minimum. He said: "Parking charges were reduced at the hospitals in 2020 and these prices have remained in place for the last five years." The trust said it had made a series of changes to improve car parking across the hospital sites, including having dedicated spaces for patients and the new scheme, charges for up to an hour and two hours will rise by £1 to £2 and £3 charge for up to three hours will double from £2 to £4 and up to four hours will increase from £2 to £ that are longer than four hours will now be priced at £ for blue badge holders will remain free and there will also be concessions for cancer patients, as well as parents and guardians who have children admitted to a parking across the three hospital sites will also remain free of charge. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Number of council-owned disabled parking spaces dwarfed by blue-badge holders
The number of council-managed blue parking spaces is significantly dwarfed by the number of blue badge holders, new data shows. According to a study from Swindon Borough Council has 69 dedicated blue badge parking bays, but there are 15,641 blue badge holders. This means that for every 227 permit holders, there is one blue badge space in council-managed areas. According to Swindon Borough Council, the report only focuses on dedicated spaces that belong the the council, but misses the others available in the town. They said: 'To suggest there are only 69 dedicated blue badge parking bays in Swindon is not the case as it ignores all the spaces in supermarkets, private car parks and out of town shopping centres. Disruption after unexpected road closure surprises residents and council 'Waterfalls' spotted on iconic town centre landmark 'left to rot' Five guilty of GBH after 'excessive' defence against knifeman in brawl 'It is also worth noting that, in Swindon, blue badge holders can park in any one of the 876 spaces in our surface level car parks that are not allocated for blue badge parking for as long as they want - for free. 'Holders can also park in a resident bay with their badge on display, with no time restriction, as well as limited waiting bays. And, providing their badge and clock is displayed, blue badge holders can park on double yellow lines for three hours.' According to the same report, there are "3.2 million blue badge permit holders in the UK, in comparison with 63,000 local authority blue badge parking bays". It also seems that the demand for accessible parking is increasing, with there being a 31% increase between 2022 and 2024 for new applications. During the 2022-2024 period, there were nearly 250,000 applications rejected. In England, there are 43,604 parking bays for blue badge holders but 2,635,428 permit holders. Rhydian Jones, motoring expert at car insurance, said: "Blue badge parking spaces are essential for millions of drivers across the UK—but our latest research shows how easily that system struggles. "This is especially highlighted when there isn't enough availability, and other drivers take advantage of the spaces. 'Shockingly, for every one blue badge parking bay in the UK, there are 52 permit holders who need access to it. "If you're using a blue badge space without needing one, even for just a few minutes, you could be stopping someone from being able to work, shop, or attend a medical appointment. "It's clear that more needs to be done—both to increase the number of accessible bays and to prevent misuse. "And if you're caught using a blue badge space without a permit, you could receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) costing between £70 and £100."
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Bolton man's plea to council after they 'unfairly fine' him and his disabled wife
A Bolton man says he's been fined unfairly after parking in a disabled spot while on a seaside day out. James Abercrombie, 48, was in Lytham St Annes with his wife Rachel,46, who has fibromyalgia and uses a wheelchair, for a visit to a food festival. Mr Abercrombie, who lives in Deane, says that when the couple, who have a blue badge on their car, arrived at the resort's council-operated St Pauls Avenue car park, he pulled into a disabled bay, meaning that, according to the council's rule he did not have to pay for a ticket. To his surprise, though, a few days after he returned home from their day trip, he received a parking ticket and was ordered to pay £25, with a letter claiming that he was parked in a non-disabled bay. Read more: Read more: Private car park rule change to reduce fines for UK drivers Read more: 8,000 parking fines issued at Bolton Market car park (Image: Supplied) Mr Abercrombie says the pictures attached to the letter show his Skoda is parked in a disabled bay with hatched markings visible to the side of the car. A picture of Mr Abercrombie's Skoda parked up on the day he visited (Image: Supplied) "Either Fylde Council are blind and can't see I'm parked in a disabled bay, or they have just thought they'll have a stab at taking my money," the 48-year-old said. The couple have been fined an initial £25 for the ticket, which Mr Abercrombie hasn't paid and is disputing, but this will rise to £50 if not paid by May 28. St Pauls Avenue Car Park (Credit: Google Maps)He added: "We'd just come to Lytham for a food festival, and this has happened. "My wife has suffered with cancer and has fibromyalgia, so I push her around on a wheelchair, we just wanted to meet some friends and have a coffee. "You'd think Fylde would want to welcome disabled people for a more diverse audience, but clearly not. Mr Abercrombe says he parked in the middle spot marked with a wheelchair (Image: Supplied) "I could have parked on the double yellows, as we have the right to with a disabled badge, but that would inconvenience other drivers." Mr Abercrombie added: "If we have parked in a non-disabled bay, then it certainly wasn't clearly marked, and if so, why are there only two disabled bays if that's the case?" Fylde Council has been contacted, but has chosen not to comment. Their website states: "If you park in a designated disabled bay [with a blue badge] you can park free of charge for up to 3 hours." The Bolton man says that they were not parked for longer than three hours, and a letter from Fylde Council suggests they believe he parked in a non-disabled bay.
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Hackney Council: "Flawed" disabled parking system scrapped
Hackney Council has scrapped a "flawed" scoring system it used for disabled parking assessments which denied hundreds of residents of blue additional guidelines in this system were found to have caused "injustice".Councillor Christopher Kennedy, the borough's health and social care chief, confirmed the council would write to all 149 individuals refused a permit since January verdict came after resident Mrs D appealed to the regulator after the council refused to renew her blue badge, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. 'Partially accepted' In April, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Amerdeep Comal, decided that Hackney's "flawed policy" went against government added that it had made it "very difficult for people with disabilities to qualify for a permit" and that it was "likely more people were also denied a permit when they would have qualified, had Hackney's guidance followed that of the government". During a cabinet meeting at the Town Hall, Mr Kennedy said Hackney Council honoured the regulator's ruling by apologising to Mrs D, paying her £500 and offering her another in-person added that the watchdog "did not tell us that Mrs D should be given a blue badge", but rather that she was entitled to another assessment without the flawed scoring Greens' co-leader, Zoë Garbett, asked the health and social care chief if the local authority had identified any lessons it had learned from the process to avoid a repeat of the Mr Kennedy said this was "very difficult" because of the circumstances under which she was given a blue badge in the first places."Mrs D was offered a permit without a physical in-person assessment during the pandemic," he said."Her subsequent desire to really investigate how we did our assessments was driven by the fact that the subsequent decisions from an in-person assessment did not match with what happened when there were no in-person assessments."However, he acknowledged the council had not "handled it very well as an organisation" and had communicated poorly with the resident, including getting her date of birth April, the watchdog said the council had only "partially" accepted its findings, and disputed the conclusion that it had caused injustice.A Town Hall spokesperson subsequently told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) it accepted the findings but was "confident" the majority of blue badge applications were assessed correctly and would undertake a review to ensure processes were "fair and robust".
