Fraud investigators cancel hundreds of disabled parking badges, saving taxpayers over £400 million

An investigation by the Public Sector Fraud Authority uncovered that 459 Blue Badges in the Wirral had been issued to deceased individuals and were still being used for priority parking, prompting their cancellation and saving taxpayers more than £363,000. By cross-checking council records with the Department for Work and Pensions, the PSFA compiled a list of suspect badges and enabled traffic wardens to seize them on the spot.

Across the UK, the authority has now cancelled over £34 million worth of badges in the past two years, while overall counter-fraud actions returned or protected more than £400 million last year—enough to fund 12,600 new NHS nurses. The PSFA exceeded its recovery target, hitting 119 % and will receive expanded powers to refer cases directly to prosecutors from the spring. Chancellor John Healey will reveal these savings at the Budget, alongside other fraud recoveries such as £117 million from Bounce Back Loan scams and £119 million saved for private firms.