Protecting the Blue Badge scheme

Blue Badge Day of Action 2025 takes place on 30 May

Blue Badge misuse is not a victimless crime, it directly impacts some of the most vulnerable members of our communities.

The misuse of Blue Badges by dishonest drivers prevents people with disabilities from being able to park where they need to. When Blue Badges are used fraudulently, it also undermines the scheme. Sometimes, people with non-visible disabilities who are legitimate badge holders could be accused of fraud. This causes distress and damages the reputation of the Blue Badge system.

Local authorities and enforcement agencies come together on 30 May to support the correct use of the Blue Badge Scheme, helping to protect access for those who truly need it.

The National Blue Badge Day of Action seeks to promote the need for consistent enforcement, better signage, and improved public understanding. 

The roots of the initiative lie with parking professional Tom Gallagher when he was at Lambeth Council. He established the London Parking Fraud Forum and Blue Badge Day of Action, two interactive days geared towards disseminating knowledge and empowering investigators through meaningful networking opportunities. 

Via the forum, Lambeth encourage greater collaboration between the boroughs when it comes to tackling parking fraud and fostering new relationships which make sharing intelligence easier.

In early 2023, supported by London Councils, Lambeth invited all UK parking authorities and relevant organisations to the National Parking Fraud Forum and a day of action was proposed and has become a nationwide campaign organised, coordinated, and led by Lambeth with the support of London Councils.

The National Blue Badge of Action is now an annual event sponsored by National Blue Badge.

Since its introduction in 2021, the day has continuously grown in popularity. Last year 142 councils participated in the day, and more are expected to take part this year. In 2024 some 10,000 Blue Badges were inspected and hundreds of misused badges were confiscated.

National charity Disabled Motoring UK (DMUK), alongside National Blue Badge is calling for local authorities to be given greater ability and mechanisms to effectively tackle the issue. DMUK has voiced this for a long time. It feels it is now time for the government to acknowledge the scale and impact of this issue. 

DMUK would like to see:

• A review actioned and the Penalty Charge Notice system strengthened
• Greater pressure from the government placed on local authorities
• Councils given more resources and authority
• Year-round enforcement to be as effective as the Day of Action

DMUK chief executive Graham Footer said: “We are proud to support the National Blue Badge Day of Action each year and it was fabulous to see so many councils take part last year. DMUK would like to see more councils get involved this year and we encourage them to do so. Last year’s results speak for themselves. The Blue Badge Scheme is a crucial lifeline for disabled motorists, and we hope these results encourage councils to continue tackling the issue of Blue Badge abuse effectively.”

The British Parking Association (BPA) has urged all its local authority members to get involved in the initiative. Isaac Occhipinti, BPA head of external affairs, said: “It’s unacceptable that people are trying to abuse the system, a system designed to assist those most in need of priority parking. We will be asking the government to do more to recognise the scale and impact of this issue.”