- A record 5.2 per cent of people in England, equating to 3.07 million people, now hold a blue badge disability parking concession, an 8 per cent increase from the previous year.
- The AA has raised concerns that up to one in five blue badges may be misused through fraud, family misuse, counterfeit badges, or theft, urging enhanced efforts to detect these offences.
- Councils across the UK, including Croydon, Barking and Dagenham, Gateshead, and Oxfordshire, have recently prosecuted individuals for blue badge misuse, with cases involving stolen, counterfeit, or deceased persons' badges.
- The eligibility criteria for blue badges were expanded in 2019 to include people with non-visible conditions such as Parkinson’s, dementia, and epilepsy.
- Both the Local Government Association and the Department for Transport encourage residents to report suspected illegal use to help councils tackle the issue.
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