Blue Badge Fraud

I wish our new councillor Chris Harper well in his career, and I hope he will be a positive influence for our area in council.


Reading the ET today (Monday June 20th) I was very sorry to read Chris’s first ‘campaign’ as a member of a sub group. As the newest member Chris appears to be handed the poison chalice. The article is about Blue Badge Fraud, which no doubt exists. The council have amended their own systems as they are the issuers of badges in Peterborough, and that is good to hear.

As the council seeks to save money we will all have our thoughts on how this can be achieved and see areas where in our opinion money is being ‘wasted’. Don’t start me on  the cuts to library hours!

Everyone who has a blue badge will  tell you they are extremely grateful for it, and happy to see abusers duly punished, freeing up more valuable spaces for those who need them. However everyone who has a badge can also tell you it is no easy thing to get one; it is (as it should be, a rigorous system). I also read and hear numerous stories of people who ‘appear’ to be fit and well when using a blue badge. They are issued for a number of conditions including terminal illnesses, you really can’t judge by appearance’s alone. If you seriously suspect fraud report it to the authorities.

All of this has led to a higher number of attacks on disabled people in the last year. What sort of a society are we part of when this happens?

Sources:

Disability Hate Crimes: Mark Sherry

Scapegoat, why we are failing disabled people: Katherine Quarnby

www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/may/14disabled-face-increasing-hostility-strangers



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