Roll up and get Your Blue Badge Here

[ToRmAtO]

Here's a starter for Six

Operation Bluebird
Counterfeit badges
Using a lost or stolen badge
Using the badge of a deceased person.
Cost - Genuine badge holders save around £2500 per year on London Congestion charges alone, plus residents parking permits etc etc
Cost again - taking enforcement action

The hunt for disabled Aliens?

[Roy Twing]

Is it still the case that blue badge holders are also entitled to hugely discounted car deals?

[Petingo]

What has happened on this thread, is that the anger, prejudice and dislike for a newspaper, has resulted in the main point being overlooked and ignored. Moreover, the ironic thing, is that it has nothing to do with the Daily Mail or any other newspaper for that matter. Posters have just gone off in a rant, with the sole intent of fucking off the Mail and anyone who reads it.

If anyone is still interested, the main point ws as follows.

This announcent of a new scheme to include people with invisible illnesses, will shaft existing genuine blue badge holders and allow more abuse of the system imo

Again, if anyone is interested, I'm happy to discuss that, but not the source that triggered that opinion. If posters want to continue to run rings round me, as my old friend Lawns thinks has happened, then that's ok as well.

Zam....just accept the fact you have got it wrong here.

Do what Confucius advised the man in the hole...lay the spade aside

A bit like you did on your D D Day thread you mean.

grrrrrr.....

[Hillman avenger]

Is it still the case that blue badge holders are also entitled to hugely discounted car deals?

No
It was a leasing scheme and only for certain disabled people
Is there something wrong with that?

[Hillman avenger]

What has happened on this thread, is that the anger, prejudice and dislike for a newspaper, has resulted in the main point being overlooked and ignored. Moreover, the ironic thing, is that it has nothing to do with the Daily Mail or any other newspaper for that matter. Posters have just gone off in a rant, with the sole intent of fucking off the Mail and anyone who reads it.

If anyone is still interested, the main point ws as follows.

This announcent of a new scheme to include people with invisible illnesses, will shaft existing genuine blue badge holders and allow more abuse of the system imo

Again, if anyone is interested, I'm happy to discuss that, but not the source that triggered that opinion. If posters want to continue to run rings round me, as my old friend Lawns thinks has happened, then that's ok as well.

Invisible to you so that's what matters

[Roy Twing]

Is it still the case that blue badge holders are also entitled to hugely discounted car deals?

No
It was a leasing scheme and only for certain disabled people
Is there something wrong with that?

Well if it no longer exists, - obviously the answer is no.
Otherwise, handing out blue badges and cheap cars at taxpayers' expense to possibly spurious claimants might be worth discussing, don't you think?

[Hillman avenger]

The cost of blue badges is minimal. The leasing scheme takes the mobility allowance that the most disabled get anyway.
The cars remain the property of the leasing company/manufacturer and are analogous to the deals done with car hire operators. As far as I know they are not funded at source.
As with any benefit, there could be spurious claimants, but people do get it withdrawn, so it is policed.
Is this because like many others, you object to mental illness being taken seriously?

[Zambo]

Is this because like many others, you object to mental illness being taken seriously?

Yeah, I was waiting for someone to say that, and I'm not surprised it was you. Have concerns about a scheme involving handicapped people, and you get labelled as someone who doesn't want mental ilness to be taken seriously. Do you want to identify the post or posts which made you form that opinion, or are you just going to continue to be a coward and keep on goading and fire insults on the basis of disagreement.

[Roy Twing]

The cost of blue badges is minimal. The leasing scheme takes the mobility allowance that the most disabled get anyway.
The cars remain the property of the leasing company/manufacturer and are analogous to the deals done with car hire operators. As far as I know they are not funded at source.
As with any benefit, there could be spurious claimants, but people do get it withdrawn, so it is policed.
Is this because like many others, you object to mental illness being taken seriously?

The leasing option (back when my brother was getting 'motability', he had the option to lease or get a thumping discount) was essentially a free car for life, - hardly insignificant.
And yes, I do have problems with the scheme generally, having plenty of anecdotal knowledge (please refrain from your usual pot & kettle response here) of abuse of already difficult to diagnose/prove aches & pains, - surely you would agree that mental illness is even more difficult, and therefore more likely to be abused?
(I don't 'have a problem' with mental illness, - just the knowledge that this scheme will drag with it even more fraud).

[Royal24s]

I think there are a lot of forgeries too. The whole thing seems to be a lot more trouble than it's worth really .

I still think it's an important benefit. I don't know how some people would manage without it now. It's being spoilt by the usual lazy cunts, who feel they have the right to cheat the system.

Down Sainsburys last Friday. Saw a bloke park in a disabled bay, he got out and sprinted to the cash machine. Had to walk past his car and there was a badge on the dash.

Maybe he was suffering anxiety wondering if he had enogh cash in his account. You know, the sort that will soon be entitled to a badge.

We now seem to live in a world of strange ideas of entitlement, and apathy about changing these ideas, together with those in cloud cukooland, who think these stupid ideas are going to work, and everyone who has a disabilty is going to be happy ever after.

That's my point really. They make all these rules about where you can park in the first place, then they make exceptions in some cases and everyone ends up being pissed off.

We have already established that you haven't a clue what you are talking about on this subject, hey boy.

You might be better employed refraining from commenting on it, Brother R.

Nah. I think I'll retain the choice of whether to comment thanks .
I expect I understand the subject as well as most people - it's not a complex one - but my opinion is that it causes more problems than it solves. That's a matter of proportionality and it's a perfectly reasonable stance.

[Royal24s]

The cost of blue badges is minimal. The leasing scheme takes the mobility allowance that the most disabled get anyway.
The cars remain the property of the leasing company/manufacturer and are analogous to the deals done with car hire operators. As far as I know they are not funded at source.
As with any benefit, there could be spurious claimants, but people do get it withdrawn, so it is policed.
Is this because like many others, you object to mental illness being taken seriously?

The leasing option (back when my brother was getting 'motability', he had the option to lease or get a thumping discount) was essentially a free car for life, - hardly insignificant.
And yes, I do have problems with the scheme generally, having plenty of anecdotal knowledge (please refrain from your usual pot & kettle response here) of abuse of already difficult to diagnose/prove aches & pains, - surely you would agree that mental illness is even more difficult, and therefore more likely to be abused?
(I don't 'have a problem' with mental illness, - just the knowledge that this scheme will drag with it even more fraud).

I knew a WPC with very little service who was a passenger in a police car which crashed. She sued everyone and ended up with a full ill health pension, a big cash payout and every form of benefit including a blue badge and a motibility payment, which she put towards the new Jag she bought.
What was wrong with her ? Well apparently she was so psychologically damaged by the crash that she just couldn't carry on and was scared to get into a car after the accident !

Work that one out ! I always wondered how this fear of cars didn't stop her driving round in her Jag and parking it wherever she liked.
She bought a bar in Spain with her various dodgy payouts and benefits in the end I think.
Anyway, this is not to say that many cases aren't genuine, but there are certainly plenty of cases of abuse and fraud.

[Roy Twing]

The cost of blue badges is minimal. The leasing scheme takes the mobility allowance that the most disabled get anyway.
The cars remain the property of the leasing company/manufacturer and are analogous to the deals done with car hire operators. As far as I know they are not funded at source.
As with any benefit, there could be spurious claimants, but people do get it withdrawn, so it is policed.
Is this because like many others, you object to mental illness being taken seriously?

The leasing option (back when my brother was getting 'motability', he had the option to lease or get a thumping discount) was essentially a free car for life, - hardly insignificant.
And yes, I do have problems with the scheme generally, having plenty of anecdotal knowledge (please refrain from your usual pot & kettle response here) of abuse of already difficult to diagnose/prove aches & pains, - surely you would agree that mental illness is even more difficult, and therefore more likely to be abused?
(I don't 'have a problem' with mental illness, - just the knowledge that this scheme will drag with it even more fraud).

I knew a WPC with very little service who was a passenger in a police car which crashed. She sued everyone and ended up with a full ill health pension, a big cash payout and every form of benefit including a blue badge and a motibility payment, which she put towards the new Jag she bought.
What was wrong with her ? Well apparently she was so psychologically damaged by the crash that she just couldn't carry on and was scared to get into a car after the accident !

Work that one out ! I always wondered how this fear of cars didn't stop her driving round in her Jag and parking it wherever she liked.
She bought a bar in Spain with her various dodgy payouts and benefits in the end I think.
Anyway, this is not to say that many cases aren't genuine, but there are certainly plenty of cases of abuse and fraud.

Yes, - that's pretty much the problem I have with it (disability benefit in general) - it's just too easy defraud, and I have plenty of similar first-hand equivalents to that story.

It's not unlike my position on capital punishment, - I'm 100% in support of it, as long as the case for it is proven 100%.

[kancutlawns]

How can you prove mental illness 100%? If you’re not convinced at a non clinician, would you then say that person a lead swinger who is a social parasite?

[Vespa]

Again, if anyone is interested, I'm happy to discuss that, but not the source that triggered that opinion. If posters want to continue to run rings round me, as my old friend Lawns thinks has happened, then that's ok as well.

Could you provide the research you mentioned that showed widespread fraud?

I like to stimulate discussion and encourage people to do their own research. Google 'abuse of blue badge scheme' and see what you can come up with.

Here's a starter for Six

Operation Bluebird
Counterfeit badges
Using a lost or stolen badge
Using the badge of a deceased person.
Cost - Genuine badge holders save around £2500 per year on London Congestion charges alone, plus residents parking permits etc etc
Cost again - taking enforcement action

It's very clear to see that when they bring the new scheme in, it is going to make it much harder for existing badge holders to park, because councils have not planned for it. It is also clear to see that we are going to have much more fraudulent use, and that's on top on those who are going to get a badge who shouldn't qualify.

It's all very well just saying, oh this is a great idea because people with invisible health problems are going to benefit by it and ignoring the obvious negative aspect, and ridiculing anyone who comes up with some potential pitfalls, mainly based on the source of information, but I guess it's what the forum has become. This place will never attract new members whilst we have this shit going on.

#sadtimesonTalkforum

You said:

I don't know how many are fiddling the system, but it's clear from research, that there is a significant amount of abuse of the current blue badge scheme, with not much success or effort to catch those doing it.

From this statement, there was a clear inference that it was a conclusion based on some research you had read. Could you provide that rather than asking me to google it?

It's all very well just saying, oh this is a great idea because people with invisible health problems are going to benefit by it and ignoring the obvious negative aspect, and ridiculing anyone who comes up with some potential pitfalls, mainly based on the source of information, but I guess it's what the forum has become.

To be fair, you've claimed that you've read clear research showing 'significant amount of abuse' and we'd like to see that source of the information you've based that statement on.

Could you provide it, please?

[Zambo]

To be honest, with the way this thread has gone, I can't be arsed to go back through it all. If you still interested check it out yourself. It's blatantly obvious that it's a big problem now which will get worse with the new scheme. Here is one headline, which you maybe surprised is not in the Mail. It's from the agendaless Indy

Figures show 45 per cent rise in stolen disabled parking permits