Big Changes to the Blue Badge scheme as the Government launches a crackdown.

Blue Badges provide a vital lifeline to over 2.5 million disabled people every year by prioritising key parking spaces close to important services. However increasing levels of badge fraud mean those who genuinely need to use these parking spaces often find themselves displaced by people who do not. In addition, the Government estimates that badge fraud is now costing the UK an estimated £46m a year, and is giving Councils tough new powers to tackle this growing issue.

There have been very few changes to the Blue Badge scheme since it was introduced in the 1970s and the Government believes that it is in need of modernisation.

The measures, which will start to come into force from April this year, include:

• Providing local authorities with an on-the-spot power to recover badges that have been cancelled and misused;

• Shared administration between authorities - including an online application facility - resulting in faster renewals, reduced abuse and operational efficiency savings of up to £20 million a year;

• Wider use of independent mobility assessments to determine eligibility, including where previously that assessment was carried out by a GP; and support for this by giving local authorities control of National Health Service spend on Blue Badge assessments;

• The replacement of handwritten badges with standard electronic ones which are harder to alter and forge;

• Extending the scheme to more disabled children under three years of age and severely disabled Armed Forces personnel and veterans; and removing residency requirements for disabled service personnel and their families who are posted overseas on UK bases

In order to finance the improvements, the maximum fee for a badge that local authorities can charge will rise from £2 to £10. This is the first increase in cost for 30 years and the Government believes that, in return, badge holders will benefit from less abuse, improved accessibility and better customer services.

Transport Minister Norman Baker said: "The Blue Badge Scheme makes a real difference to millions of disabled people every day. However, it is clear that it is in real need of modernisation after forty years without major reform. Such are the high levels of fraud in the current system that 50% of Blue Badge holders now find it difficult to get a parking space and Blue Badge fraud is estimated to cost £46m a year. The changes I am announcing today will crack down on Blue Badge misuse, modernise the system and extend eligibility to other groups such as more disabled children under three and severely disabled war veterans and service personnel. These improvements will mean that Blue Badge holders get a much better service for less than 1p per day."

Dai Powell OBE, Chair of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) said: "These proposals can bring us one step nearer to a fairer and more consistently applied scheme. DPTAC hope to continue working closely with the Department as it implements these measures to ensure they lead to better outcomes for disabled people."

Helen Dolphin, DPTAC Member and Director of Policy and Campaigns at Mobilise said: "We are pleased DfT have addressed some of the anomalies providing greater clarity to those who administer the scheme. One of the major criticisms has been the extent of regional variation in the administration. We hope local authorities will recognise the benefits these measures will offer in support of a consistent and uniform approach."