- 459 unauthorised Blue Badges cancelled in Wirral Council,
saving over £363,000 for the taxpayer.
- Potentially fraudulent permits identified with a data
matching tool through the Public Sector Fraud Authority's
National Fraud Initiative.
- Nationally, the estimated value of Blue Badges cancelled was
over £34 million across the past two years.
Over 450 Blue Badges have been cancelled after findings show
permits issued to deceased residents were still being used. This
joint operation between the Public Sector Fraud Authority and
Wirral Council protects parking spaces for those who truly need
them and has saved taxpayers over £363,000 between 2024-2025.
Blue Badges give disabled people access to parking where they
need it most, with every fraudulent badge denying that access to
someone in genuine need. In the last two years, the estimated
value of Blue Badges cancelled across the country was over £34
million, as the government is now finding and stopping fraud
faster than ever before.
The government's National Fraud Initiative matched Wirral Council
data against central government records held by the Department
for Work and Pensions. By cross-referencing these matches to
internal records, the investigation team generated a
high-priority hotlist', leading to the cancellation of 459 badges
potentially being used fraudulently, with a loss prevention value
of over £363,000.
Traffic wardens in the Wirral will now conduct targeted patrols
including roads near local schools, with powers to confiscate
badges on the spot. Residents misusing badges following the death
of the badge holder face formal warning letters and fines of up
to £1,000.
Cabinet Office Minister said:
Blue Badges are a lifeline for disabled people, allowing them to
go about their daily business safely and with dignity. Every time
a badge is misused, it unfairly deprives someone in genuine need
of a vital parking space right when they need it most.
By working closely with Wirral Council, we are ensuring those in
need are properly supported and taxpayer money is protected.
Wirral Council leader and Chair of the Policy and
Resources Committee, Cllr Paula Basnett, said:
The Blue Badge scheme is an important means of support for some
of our most vulnerable residents, but sadly it seems it has
become subject to an acceptable level of misuse across the
country.
Our response in Wirral has been to use all the tools at our
disposal to conduct a proactive, intelligence-led operation,
which is backed up with a stronger enforcement strategy. This
includes giving traffic wardens the power to immediately cancel
and remove illegally used badges and issue warning letters with
the potential for fines up to £1,000.
We have also been collaborating closely with our neighbouring
Council in Liverpool to support the management of formal
prosecutions. This demonstrates our joined-up approach to
tackling fraud locally.
This builds on work done by the government to fight fraud across
the public sector, with £7.53 billion saved for the taxpayer over
the past year due to our efforts to identify and dismantle fraud
across both central and local government.
These measures are part of our long-term commitment to reduce the
estimated £55 billion to £81 billion lost annually to fraud and
error across government, as we create a more productive and agile
state.
