Calderdale Council’s crackdown on blue badge fraud continues, with five convictions this month for offences related to misusing blue badges.
The blue badge scheme is for people with severe mobility problems and badges can only be used by the holder or in a vehicle which is used to transport the badge holder.
At Bradford Magistrates Court on Friday 2 February, Calderdale Council prosecuted five people for separate offences of illegally displaying a blue badge permit. All five people were caught using another persons badge to avoid paying car parking fees.
All were found guilty (two found guilty in absence) and the court imposed fines and costs ranging from £230 to £935. All together the fines and costs totalled £3261.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Communities, Cllr Susan Press, said:
“We are committed to tackling blue badge fraud and the fines in these cases show that the courts also take a strong stance on the issue. These cases will hopefully act as a deterrent for those who are tempted to illegally benefit from the scheme.
“We won’t hesitate to take action against blue badge fraud and we’ve recently had a number of successful action days to crack down on abuse of the scheme, with more planned in the near future.”
In Calderdale, we do all we can to ensure that blue badges are not being misused and disabled parking spaces are used by those who genuinely need them.
These cases are part of a wider crackdown on the issue of blue badge fraud. There are currently a number of investigations taking place into abuse of the scheme and further cases are set to appear in court soon.
If you suspect a blue badge is being used illegally, we encourage you to report it. Visit www.calderdale.gov.uk and search for ‘blue badges’.