For every disabled parking bay there are 52 Blue Badge holders as scheme is

There are increasing concerns the Blue Badge scheme for people with disabilities is both oversubscribed and ‘shockingly’ exploited as cases of misuse spiral in recent years. 

For every disabled parking bay in the UK, there are currently 52 permit holders, according to estimations in a new report published by Confused.com. 

This is based on almost 3.3million Blue Badge holders and just 63,000 parking spaces across the country.

And demand for permits continues to rise with the rate of new applications increasing by 31 per cent between 2022 and 2024. 

In total, 1.3million new applications were made over the three-year period – and that’s on top of the 1.5million renewal applications requested by existing holders.

Of these 2.8million applications in total, just 245,566 – around 9 per cent – were rejected as the scheme continues to be overwhelmed.

The report follows the release of figures that revealed that reported misuse cases relating to Blue Badge misuse have increased by over 1,000 per cent in less than a decade, highlighting a ‘serious and growing problem of fraud and abuse’.

There are increasing concerns that the Blue Badge scheme for people with disabilities is both oversubscribed and ‘shockingly’ exploited as cases of misuse have spiralled in recent years

The comparison site said the oversubscription issue is also being exacerbated by other drivers wrongly using disabled parking spaces when they shouldn’t.

According to a Freedom of Information request to 207 UK councils (of which 182 responded with data), 705,310 penalty charge notices were issued for misuse of disabled parking bays between 2022 and 2024. 

In a poll of 2,000 UK drivers, a third (36 per cent) of those who have a blue badge (11 per cent) said they’ve turned up somewhere needing to park, only to find someone without a permit using designated spaces. A similar volume said there aren’t enough accessible disabled spaces where they live.

Two thirds said they are often left with no other option but to park in a standard-sized bay, which do not provide access for wheelchairs or to those with mobility issues, while two in five have been forced to drive elsewhere to find suitable parking provisions.

Last month, the nation’s parking trade association vowed to crackdown Blue Badge fraud having seen instances of misuse spiral.

Instances of reported abuse of the scheme have grown from hundreds per year in 2016 to over 3,500 cases by 2023 in what the British Parking Association (BPA) called a blatant ‘undermining of the integrity’ of the scheme.

Permit thefts are also becoming a bigger issue, with the number of Blue Badges stolen in London alone spiralling by 400 per cent between 2014 and 2023.

Blue Badge misuse is deemed a criminal offence that could lead to a £1,000 fine and confiscation of the badge. 

It can also result in court prosecution, and legal action may also be taken in circumstances where false information has been provided to acquire a Blue Badge.

Rhydian Jones, commercial director at Confused.com, said the study highlights that the ‘system is struggling’ due to an imbalance of permits versus parking spaces – and other drivers abusing the rules.

‘It’s clear that more needs to be done – both to increase the number of accessible bays and to prevent misuse,’ he said. 

Reported instances of Blue Badge misuse have grown from a matter of hundreds in 2016 to over 3,500 cases in 2023, National Blue Badge says

The British Parking Association has warned there is a ‘serious and growing problem of fraud and abuse of the Blue Badge scheme’

Borrowing Granny’s badge… 

The range of permit abuse identified by National Blue Badge – an enforcement agency working on behalf of local authorities to identify misuse – between 2016 and 2023 included a range of issues, from intentional theft, organised fraud, producing and selling counterfeit badges online, and using deceased people’s badges.

However, the most common type of abuse is the often presumed ‘innocent’ act of ‘borrowing Granny’s badge’ just for free and convenient parking.

‘For every badge being misused, a space has been denied to a genuine badge holder, potentially preventing them from attending appointments, socialising and being able to get around independently,’ the BPA said in its May report.

It went on to call for local authorities and councils to be given greater ability and mechanisms to effectively tackle the issue and put a stop to this ongoing abuse.

‘Perpetrators are currently not deterred by the limited consequences for…