Overhaul of disabled parking system

Transport Minister Paul Clark also said that the blue badge scheme, first introduced in 1971, was being extended. A new system of assessing eligibility for the blue badge is also being developed to ensure that only those who need badges get them.

The blue badge system provides a range of parking concessions for people with severe mobility problems who have difficulty using public transport.

Announcing a £55 million package which applies just to England, Mr Clark said that for the first time Government was looking to give councils the power to confiscate stolen or forged blue badges immediately they find them.

The Government also plans to extend the scheme to seriously disabled armed forces personnel and veterans, people with temporary but serious mobility problems, young children with specific disabilities, and individuals with severe mental impairments.

To support immediate confiscation of misused badges a £10 million national data-sharing system will be established by councils to ensure stolen or forged badges from outside their local area can be easily identified for the first time.

The Department for Transport is also looking at new technologies to make badges harder to forge, including barcodes that can be read through windscreens.

Mr Clark said: "Two thirds of councils tell us abuse of the scheme is a major issue - and that around one in every 200 badges in circulation is reported as stolen each year. And with forged or stolen badges reportedly being sold on the black market for up to £1,500 a time, it is time to get tough and stop blue badge abuse and vehicle crime.

"Alongside this we need to make sure that everyone who needs a badge receives one, and that is why I have announced that we will be extending the scope of the scheme."

AA president Edmund King said: "We welcome the national system of data sharing to identify blue badge cheats. However giving powers to civil enforcement officers to seize badges must be strictly monitored. As disability is not always apparent from physical appearance the parking attendants should not be asked to use their judgment to identify fraud but should just act on accurate data on fraudulent or stolen badges."