Woking blue badge fee 'tax on vulnerable', says disability campaigner
An accessibility activist says he is "absolutely beyond rage" that a Surrey council is planning to charge for blue badge applications for car parking.Chair of Woking Access Group, Cliff Bush, slammed it as a "tax on the most vulnerable" as people with disabilities may have to pay to use town centre car parks. Woking Borough Council is to charge a £25 administration fee for blue badge holders, who are already entitled to free on-street parking, but who want an additional permit to use council car parks for free.The authority said the charge is needed to cover the cost of the scheme, the Local Democracy Service has reported.
The £25 charge would cover a period of up to three years, as it will be linked to the expiry date of each blue badge.But Mr Bush said the change "reduced the accessibility to Woking".He said: "The council doesn't own the car parks, residents do, and I pay my council tax."
Dale Roberts, deputy leader and portfolio holder for parking on Woking Borough Council, said: "We remain committed to accessibility in the borough, ensuring our fees and charges are fair, equitable and socially responsible, whilst remaining affordable for the council."Administering the scheme costs £30,000 a year, yet data suggests over a third of all permit holders don't make use of them."To help cover the cost of administering the permit scheme we will be introducing a small charge for new applications and renewals."The council said much of the cost was because its car parks are not pay and display, but use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology which requires a chip to be installed in every blue badge.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
3 days ago
- Powys County Times
Nant yr Arian parking cameras bid on Powys border approved
Car parking cameras are to be installed at a former visitor centre near the Powys border despite pleas from campaigners battling to save it. The Bwlch Nant Yr Arian Visitor Centre, near Ponterwyd, Aberystwyth closed at the end of March, along with other Natural Resources Wales-run centres at Ynyslas and Coed y Brenin. At the time, Elsie Grace, NRW's head of sustainable commercial development, said: 'We understand how important our sites are to local communities and visitors and we know the decision to stop providing catering and retail services is disappointing to many people. 'Our board made the decision in response to the extremely tight funding situation we and other public bodies face. 'We will look for partners, both community groups and businesses, to register an interest in providing these services moving forward and will provide more information on how to submit expressions of interest ahead of the launch of any tender exercise. 'In the meantime, all our paths, trails, car park, play area and toilet facilities will remain open and we will continue to maintain our sites to ensure public access continues.' An application was recently submitted to Ceredigion County Council by NRW to install Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at Bwlch Nant yr Arian. A supporting statement says: 'There is already a pay and display machine at the car park, and it is intended that the ANPR will replace this. The camera will be mounted on a pole, which is 4m above ground and finished in galvanised steel. Power will be taken from the existing Pay and Display machine.' Concerns were raised in a letter of objection by Helen Heron, of Save Our Centre Campaign Group, Ynyslas, comparing the situation there with Bwlch Nant yr Arian, urging the council to refuse the scheme. Helen, a former warden at Ynyslas, said parking money at the three sites was previously used to cover the cost of seasonal staff and maintenance but would now go 'straight into private pockets'. An officer report recommending approval said: 'An objection to the proposal was received by the Save Our Centre Campaign Group. Although [the council] appreciate the concerns, unfortunately the points raised in the objection letter are not planning matters, therefore they cannot be taken into account when determining this application.' It finished: 'The instalment of ANPR cameras will allow for better parking management and enforcement compared to the existing pay and display machine.'
Glasgow Times
06-06-2025
- Glasgow Times
RAC warn millions of UK drivers over number plate fault
These plates have a reflective coating, which prevents them from being identified by speed cameras and roadside ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras. Online sites are also flogging self-adhesive laminate covers that can be stuck to existing plates, rendering them invisible to enforcement cameras. The British Number Plate Manufacturers Association, which represents companies producing the vast majority of plates in the UK, wants tougher regulation of the sector to crack down on illegal suppliers. Trading Standards and the DVLA are calling for a crackdown on sales of illegal 'ghost plates' on cars. They are fake or altered number plates that can't be read by police cameras. They're becoming an increasing problem on UK roads with drivers, often linked to criminal gangs or… — Good Morning Britain (@GMB) June 3, 2025 Its chairman warned that the products are 'enabling serious criminals and terrorists to move around the roads undetected'. In addition to selling ghost plates, online retailers are brazenly offering transparent films and reflective sprays that obscure a plate's letter and number combination under infrared light. Sprays are advertised by sellers on well-known online retailers for around £4. Some are also selling plates with subtly altered characters to disrupt camera software's ability to recognise them accurately. BNMA chairman Michael Flanagan said: "Far from being the tightly regulated industry it should be, number plates are increasingly being sold by unscrupulous below-the-radar suppliers using non-compliant, untraceable materials. "They rarely ask for the documentation that the DVLA require. "This is a criminal offence and enables serious criminals and terrorists to move around the roads undetected. Recommended reading: "Motorists deserve to know they are buying a legal, compliant number plate from a legitimate supplier. "Now is the time for the Government to tighten the regulations." RAC head of policy Simon Williams, who will also attend the roundtable with MPs today, added: "Given the proliferation of number plate recognition cameras used for various types of enforcement, it simply isn't right that criminals can get away with these offences by easily purchasing illegal ghost plates. "Together with the modern motoring menace that is cloned number plates, where blameless drivers have to prove their innocence for motoring offences they didn't commit, it's apparent these are serious and growing problems that need solutions."
Powys County Times
06-06-2025
- Powys County Times
RAC warn millions of UK drivers over number plate fault
The Government is being urged to clamp down on the rise in availability of illegal number plates. These plates have a reflective coating, which prevents them from being identified by speed cameras and roadside ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras. Online sites are also flogging self-adhesive laminate covers that can be stuck to existing plates, rendering them invisible to enforcement cameras. The British Number Plate Manufacturers Association, which represents companies producing the vast majority of plates in the UK, wants tougher regulation of the sector to crack down on illegal suppliers. Trading Standards and the DVLA are calling for a crackdown on sales of illegal 'ghost plates' on cars. They are fake or altered number plates that can't be read by police cameras. They're becoming an increasing problem on UK roads with drivers, often linked to criminal gangs or… — Good Morning Britain (@GMB) June 3, 2025 Its chairman warned that the products are 'enabling serious criminals and terrorists to move around the roads undetected'. In addition to selling ghost plates, online retailers are brazenly offering transparent films and reflective sprays that obscure a plate's letter and number combination under infrared light. Sprays are advertised by sellers on well-known online retailers for around £4. Some are also selling plates with subtly altered characters to disrupt camera software's ability to recognise them accurately. BNMA chairman Michael Flanagan said: "Far from being the tightly regulated industry it should be, number plates are increasingly being sold by unscrupulous below-the-radar suppliers using non-compliant, untraceable materials. "They rarely ask for the documentation that the DVLA require. "This is a criminal offence and enables serious criminals and terrorists to move around the roads undetected. "Motorists deserve to know they are buying a legal, compliant number plate from a legitimate supplier. "Now is the time for the Government to tighten the regulations." RAC head of policy Simon Williams, who will also attend the roundtable with MPs today, added: "Given the proliferation of number plate recognition cameras used for various types of enforcement, it simply isn't right that criminals can get away with these offences by easily purchasing illegal ghost plates.
