Govt cracks down on blue badge fraud
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Posted by Peter Atkinson
This month measures to crack down on blue badge fraud came into effect (1 January).
Under secretary of state for Transport Norman Baker explained that the Blue Badge Improvement Service has been developed in consultation with disabled people and local authorities to tackle rising levels of badge abuse, ensure disabled people receive more customer service and secure the system's sustainability.
When the service commenced at the start of the month, every local authority in England had signed up and could be in-line to benefit from approximately £20m per year in efficiency savings as a result of the changes.
Mr Baker explained: "The service establishes a common store of key information on badges and badge holders that will enable verification checks to be made quickly and easily."
What's more, to prevent fraud the design of the badge has been changed, replacing the old-style cardboard badges with new ones made from fused and bonded hard plastic material, embedded with security features.
However, the Institute of Advanced Motorists claims that more still needs to be done to expose those who commit fraud and abuse the system.
