Council joins Blue Badge Day of Action

23 May 2024 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news

Northumberland County Council is supporting the National Blue Badge Day of Action. 

Friday 24 May sees the Council join with many other local authorities, to combat fraudulent use of blue badges. 

The Blue Badge Scheme provides people with disabilities with a way of parking closer to their destination by way of a clear blue badge, which can be put in the front windscreen when parked. 

Although the majority of badges are used in the correct way and for genuine reasons, in a small number of cases, some individuals use other people’s, either to save money by parking in disabled bays or through laziness and a wish to park closer to where they want to go. 

Officers from the Council’s Corporate Fraud Team will join Civil Enforcement Officers to look out for cases of blue badges being used fraudulently. 

Councillor Gordon Stewart, Cabinet Member for Looking After Our Communities, said: “The Blue Badge Scheme is a fantastic thing for our communities, helping many people with disabilities get to where they need to be in a safe, accessible and timely manner. 

“Unfortunately this important scheme is being misused by a small minority which causes issues for people who are genuinely in need of these parking spaces.  

“We must work together to tackle this issue.”