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Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats:Covering the constituencies of Twickenham and Richmond Park |
Dodgy drivers warned over parking fraud
August 26, 2009 6:52 PM
• THOUSANDS of pounds of revenue, to pay for services like schools and care for the elderly, is being lost because able bodied drivers are fraudulently using disabled people's Blue Badges to avoid parking ticket fees, Richmond Council has said this week.
Cllr David Trigg, Richmond Council's Cabinet Member for Traffic, Transport and Parking, said: "These badges are meant for people who have real difficulty getting around, they are not a cheap way of avoiding parking fees.
"People who misuse them are doing the Council out of parking ticket fees, which are used to pay for services like education, support for older people and keeping our streets clean. If people continue to take advantage then services could suffer."
The Council issues badges to people with permanent and severe walking difficulties, to enable them to park close to the places they want to visit for free. Badge holders do not have to pay at parking meters or at pay and display machines, and can use residents' bays, disabled bays and park on yellow lines for three hours. In addition badge holders to not have to pay the London Congestion Charge.
Approximately 5,000 blue badges, which are valid for three years at a time, are currently issued to residents of Richmond, and the Council has estimated that for every badge which is fraudulently used for a year, approximately £3,500 is lost by people not paying parking fees.
In the most recent case of fraudulent use, a parking officer at the Council spotted four able-bodied youths climbing out of a car which had a blue badge in the window. Police tracked down the owner of the vehicle who admitted the badge was not his and he has now been dealt with by officers.
The Council encourages people who believe a blue badge may be being wrongly used to report it by calling the Accessible Transport Unit on 020 8831 6191. The Council's Accessible Transport Unit is working with fraud officers to combat Blue Badge misuse and will always co-operate with police to prosecute or caution those found to be illegally using the badges.
The Blue Badge scheme provides a national range of parking concessions for disabled people with severe mobility problems who have difficulty using
public transport.
The badges are available to anyone who:
• Receives the higher rate of the Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance;
• Is registered blind;
• Receives a War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement;
• Has a permanent and substantial disability which means they cannot walk, or which makes walking very difficult;
• Drives a motor vehicle regularly, has a severe disability in both arms, and is unable to operate all or some types of parking meter (or would find it very difficult to operate them).
The badges can be used by carers only if they are driving the badge holder at the time.
A parent of a child who is less than two years old may apply for a badge for their child if the child has a specific medical condition
Organisations which transport disabled people who would meet one or more of the above criteria may also be eligible for a badge. However, this is entirely at the discretion of the issuing local authority and any organisation that qualifies must follow the conditions for using it.
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