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More than 450 Blue Badges that were being misused have been taken away across the Wirral following a major fraud investigation.
According to Birkenhead News, an operation between two bodies, the Public Sector Fraud Authority and Wirral Council, found badges issued to dead residents that were still in use. 459 unauthorised Blue Badges were seized. The impressive crackdown effort means taxpayers saved over £363,000 between 2024 and 2025.
So, how did this come to be? Well, investigators compiled a list of potentially fraudulent badges by cross-referencing council data with records kept by the Department for Work and Pensions.
But what about going forward? Traffic wardens across the Wirral will now conduct targeted patrols in busy areas near schools and will have powers to confiscate badges on the spot. Anyone found wrongly using a badge could lose it, receive a warning, or be fined up to £1,000.
The total of cancelled Blue Badges across England in the last two years totals a ridiculous £34 million!
Cabinet Office Minister Satvir Kaur said in a statement: "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."
Wirral Council leader Councillor Paula Basnett said: "The Blue Badge scheme is an important means of support for some of our most vulnerable residents, but sadly it seems to have become subject to an unacceptable level of misuse across the country.
She went on to say across the Wirral, tools are being used to "conduct a proactive, intelligence-led operation" which has a "stronger enforcement strategy".
The council has also been working with Liverpool Council to manage prosecutions for Blue Badge misuse.
