Latest news with #bluebadge
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Bolton man's plea to council after they 'unfairly fine' him and his disabled wife
A Bolton man says he's been fined unfairly after parking in a disabled spot while on a seaside day out. James Abercrombie, 48, was in Lytham St Annes with his wife Rachel,46, who has fibromyalgia and uses a wheelchair, for a visit to a food festival. Mr Abercrombie, who lives in Deane, says that when the couple, who have a blue badge on their car, arrived at the resort's council-operated St Pauls Avenue car park, he pulled into a disabled bay, meaning that, according to the council's rule he did not have to pay for a ticket. To his surprise, though, a few days after he returned home from their day trip, he received a parking ticket and was ordered to pay £25, with a letter claiming that he was parked in a non-disabled bay. Read more: Read more: Private car park rule change to reduce fines for UK drivers Read more: 8,000 parking fines issued at Bolton Market car park (Image: Supplied) Mr Abercrombie says the pictures attached to the letter show his Skoda is parked in a disabled bay with hatched markings visible to the side of the car. A picture of Mr Abercrombie's Skoda parked up on the day he visited (Image: Supplied) "Either Fylde Council are blind and can't see I'm parked in a disabled bay, or they have just thought they'll have a stab at taking my money," the 48-year-old said. The couple have been fined an initial £25 for the ticket, which Mr Abercrombie hasn't paid and is disputing, but this will rise to £50 if not paid by May 28. St Pauls Avenue Car Park (Credit: Google Maps)He added: "We'd just come to Lytham for a food festival, and this has happened. "My wife has suffered with cancer and has fibromyalgia, so I push her around on a wheelchair, we just wanted to meet some friends and have a coffee. "You'd think Fylde would want to welcome disabled people for a more diverse audience, but clearly not. Mr Abercrombe says he parked in the middle spot marked with a wheelchair (Image: Supplied) "I could have parked on the double yellows, as we have the right to with a disabled badge, but that would inconvenience other drivers." Mr Abercrombie added: "If we have parked in a non-disabled bay, then it certainly wasn't clearly marked, and if so, why are there only two disabled bays if that's the case?" Fylde Council has been contacted, but has chosen not to comment. Their website states: "If you park in a designated disabled bay [with a blue badge] you can park free of charge for up to 3 hours." The Bolton man says that they were not parked for longer than three hours, and a letter from Fylde Council suggests they believe he parked in a non-disabled bay.
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Hackney Council: "Flawed" disabled parking system scrapped
Hackney Council has scrapped a "flawed" scoring system it used for disabled parking assessments which denied hundreds of residents of blue additional guidelines in this system were found to have caused "injustice".Councillor Christopher Kennedy, the borough's health and social care chief, confirmed the council would write to all 149 individuals refused a permit since January verdict came after resident Mrs D appealed to the regulator after the council refused to renew her blue badge, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. 'Partially accepted' In April, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Amerdeep Comal, decided that Hackney's "flawed policy" went against government added that it had made it "very difficult for people with disabilities to qualify for a permit" and that it was "likely more people were also denied a permit when they would have qualified, had Hackney's guidance followed that of the government". During a cabinet meeting at the Town Hall, Mr Kennedy said Hackney Council honoured the regulator's ruling by apologising to Mrs D, paying her £500 and offering her another in-person added that the watchdog "did not tell us that Mrs D should be given a blue badge", but rather that she was entitled to another assessment without the flawed scoring Greens' co-leader, Zoë Garbett, asked the health and social care chief if the local authority had identified any lessons it had learned from the process to avoid a repeat of the Mr Kennedy said this was "very difficult" because of the circumstances under which she was given a blue badge in the first places."Mrs D was offered a permit without a physical in-person assessment during the pandemic," he said."Her subsequent desire to really investigate how we did our assessments was driven by the fact that the subsequent decisions from an in-person assessment did not match with what happened when there were no in-person assessments."However, he acknowledged the council had not "handled it very well as an organisation" and had communicated poorly with the resident, including getting her date of birth April, the watchdog said the council had only "partially" accepted its findings, and disputed the conclusion that it had caused injustice.A Town Hall spokesperson subsequently told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) it accepted the findings but was "confident" the majority of blue badge applications were assessed correctly and would undertake a review to ensure processes were "fair and robust".
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Blue badge crisis as drivers told 'we cannot continue to ignore'
Alarming new figures have shown how misuse of blue badges has become widespread on UK roads. Parking authorities warned the "level of blue badge misuse and fraud" was "shocking", adding "we cannot continue to ignore this issue". New figures from the British Parking Association (BPA) showed cases of blue badge misuse have skyrocketed by over 1,000% since 2016. READ MORE: Worst Birmingham street for parking fines named as 2,300 get tickets in just three months Get all the latest motoring news sent to your inbox by signing up to our new newsletter here Between 2014 and 2023, the number of blue badges stolen in London alone rose by 400%, motoring organisation the RAC reported. The BPA said methods included theft of badges and the production and sale of counterfeit badges online - and even the use of badges of dead people. Experts also said 'borrowing Grandma's badge' just to get free, convenient parking was becoming increasingly common. The BPA wants local authorities to be granted more powers and resources to tackle the issue. Alison Tooze, chief engagement and policy officer at the BPA, said 'The statistics around the level of blue badge misuse and fraud are shocking. "We cannot continue to ignore this issue, especially when the victims are some of the most vulnerable in our society. "Badge holders rely on accessible parking to carry out their day-to-day activities and for many it is a vital part of living an independent life. "Perpetrators of blue badge misuse and fraud deprive genuine badge holders of this right to freedom, whilst costing ordinary taxpayers millions every year. This must stop.' Gabriel Hambleton, from car detailing supplier Gold Label Car Care, said: "Misuse of a blue badge can have serious consequences. "Lending the badge to someone else, using it after it has expired, or failing to return a badge that is no longer needed can lead to its withdrawal and a fine of up to £1,000. 'This helps protect the integrity of the scheme and ensures support goes to those who genuinely need it."
BBC News
20-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Blue badge spaces to return after Edward T Wheadon House repairs
Blue badge spaces at a government office in Guernsey are due to be reinstated as repair work to the building has been blue badge parking spaces at Edward T Wheadon House have been suspended since January while scaffolding was in place as part of repairs to its States said the scaffolding will be taken down in phases beginning on 21 May, with blue badge parking reinstated from 26 Truchot road will be closed while scaffolding is removed between 21 and 23 May, from 08:00-16:00 BST. The States created three temporary blue badge spaces as a replacement while the work was thanked people for their patience while the scaffolding was in place.
