1. REPORT ON BLUE BADGE ENFORCEMENT
MICHAEL BRADY
ASSISTANT GROUP MANAGER
PARKING PROJECTS AND EVENTS
JUNE 2012

2. SUMMARY
 This presentation will outline the challenges that Glasgow City Council
(GCC) has in terms of enforcing mis-use of Blue Badges.
 It seeks to identify measures to improve the control regime to reduce
the potential for mis-use.
 Identify stakeholder engagement measures, to improve control and
prevent mis-use, including the Police, Press and other agencies.
 Will detail the results obtained by working together with Strathclyde
Police to tackle mis-use.
 Initiatives to help reduce mis-use of Blue Badges.

3. KEY FACTS
 There are presently around 25,000 Blue Badges on issue in Glasgow.
 Some 33% of all Badges on issue in Scotland, are issued within the
Glasgow region
 It is interesting to note that some Councils issue more discretionary
badges
 Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh 8,646 Automatic 13,183 Discretionary.
 Glasgow 13,933 Automatic 9,460 Discretionary
 There is an upward trend in the number of Badges being issued in
Glasgow.

4. COST OF MIS-USE
 The estimated level of mis-use in Glasgow is 27%
 Glasgow City Centre has approximately 1100 Pay and Display
Parking Bays
 Surveys have shown that, in some areas, more that 50% of
bays are occupied by vehicles displaying blue Badges
 Resulting loss of income could be up to £450,000 per annum

5. MIS-USE RECORDED BY PA’S
 PA’s regularly complete alleged mis-use forms
 These record details of actual or suspected mis-use
 Monitoring over a period of 2 years shows that of 821 mis-use
forms completed
 663 Penalty Charge Notices were issued
 315 of which were paid at discount

6. DIFFICULTIES IN ENFORCEMENT
 A Parking Attendant must be on site when the vehicle is being
parked or when the vehicle is about to leave an area
 Information concerning the issue of the badge is not readily
available to the Parking Attendant – should improve with BBIS
 Police attendance on site not usually possible unless by prior
arrangement and site specific
 Fragmented approach to what we do with information
concerning abuse of the scheme – should improve with BBIS
 It appears to be socially acceptable to use a badge when not
entitled

7. BLUE BADGE OPERATIONS
 Regularly liaise with Strathclyde Police – Blue Badge ‘Sting’
Operations
 Use intelligence gathered by PA’s to identify key locations
where mis-use is most prevalent
 PA’s and Police work in conjunction to identify mis-use
 Negotiate ‘dedicated’ Policing resource as part of the
Community Policing Partnership-leading with impact report

8. RESULTS
 12 Blue Badge ‘Stings’ over 2 year period
 192 Vehicles approached
 51 Drivers charged and reported to the Procurator Fiscal
 Reduction in Blue Badge parking following operations

9. BEFORE ‘STING’ OPERATION - MILLER
STREET

10. AFTER ‘STING’ OPERATION - SPOT THE
DIFFERENCE!

11. DESIGNATED DISABLED BAYS
- NORMALLY FULLY OCCUPIED

12. ENFORCEMENT-THE WAY FORWARD
 Have less ambiguous powers of inspection with PA’s being
permitted to seize Badges (2013).
 Instant information about the issue of the badge at the time of
inspection by the Parking Attendant – BBIS National Database
System
 The current concession of free parking throughout the
city/country needs to be discussed.
 More public awareness concerning the abuse of the Disabled
Badge Scheme
 Improved relations between legitimate Badge holders and
enforcement agencies
 Improved public awareness and education of the scheme and
it’s aims

13. RECOMENDATIONS
 Education:
implement educational campaigns at school level in the style of anti
smoking, anti drink driving and seatbelt campaigns - make Blue
Badge mis-use socially and morally unacceptable as well as other
dedicated bays
 Wider Public - Employees:
Targeted campaigns – use GCC’s Internet and Intranet services – the
Glasgow and Insider Magazines - Employee Pay Portal – advise of
consequences of mis-use
 Advertising:
Promote awareness of the impact of Blue Badge mis-use – posters
on the side of GCC’s vehicles, in car parks and in bus shelters
 Decriminalisation
Decimalisation of the Offence of Mis Use

14. CONCLUSION
 Need to tackle Blue Badge mis-use
 The free parking element should be discussed
 New BBIS database must be updated, maintained, with any
instances of mis-use being accurately recorded
 PA’s given powers to seize mis-used Blue Badges
 Look at providing education at an early age to the
consequences of people mis-using the blue badge (pester
power).