In a written response, Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood stated: “Part IV of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 provides local authorities with powers to mark out bays for specific purposes, issue local parking permits, and use Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) to reserve spaces for specific purposes.

“This can be a voluntary local scheme, and the cost and nature of the concession would be for the local authority to decide.”

If you’re living with a physical disability or health condition that impacts your ability to walk safely, or if you have a hidden condition such as dementia or Parkinson’s, you might be eligible for a Blue Badge, the Record reported.

This badge can help you park closer to your destinations. A Blue Badge holder, whether they are the driver or a passenger, can park for free in disabled parking bays and may also be exempt from other parking restrictions.

It is estimated that around 3.2 million people across the UK benefit from this scheme. In October it was revealed a government investigation resulted in the scrapping of tens of thousands of Blue Badges, initially granted to people who had died, after it emerged they were being flogged for considerable amounts.

The inquiry uncovered that numerous permits remained active even after the original recipients had died, with some relatives trying to game the system.

Cabinet Office Minister Josh Simons voiced his astonishment at uncovering an illicit black market for Blue Badges, which he characterised as a symbol of “old-fashioned courtesy and consideration”.

He said: “In supermarket car parks and high streets, the blue badge is a symbol we respect. I was shocked when I learned there is an illegal black market of blue badges, which makes a mockery of that system.

“We have now identified and cancelled 22,000, after we found many were still in use after their holders had died. Our fraud crackdown uncovered other abuses as well. The Cabinet Office says each permit can be worth up to £800, because of the cost of dodged parking fees and congestion charges.

“In one case, Camden Council said relatives of a deceased badge holder applied for replacements, claiming the permit had been damaged” The Cabinet Office acknowledged that it doesn’t possess records on how many of the revoked badges were genuinely misused, as this data is maintained by individual local authorities. Officials highlighted that protective measures differ between councils, though routine data-matching is proving effective in tackling misuse.

This badge crackdown forms part of Britain’s most extensive anti-fraud campaign ever, which has clawed back £480 million over the past year – a remarkable £100 million rise compared to the previous year.

A considerable chunk of this figure, £186 million, was retrieved from bogus Covid loan programmes, including fraudulent Bounce Back Loans.

The Cabinet Office credits this unprecedented recovery to cutting-edge data-matching techniques and an AI system that spots weaknesses before swindlers can take advantage.

Mr Simons remarked: “There are thousands more errors that no one has bothered to fix for years. Pension payments that carry on after a funeral. Social housing lists with names that shouldn’t be there. Council tax discounts claimed where they shouldn’t be. These might sound small but they add up. While hardworking, decent people pay their fair share, a small number of people scam the system and cost the rest of us millions of pounds of taxpayer money.

“Over the last year we’ve stopped £480 million being lost. That’s the most any government has ever saved and £100 million more than the previous year. I am proud of that record. Half a billion pounds back in the system. That’s nurses on hospital wards, teachers in classrooms and police officers on the beat. Taxpayers expect their money to be spent funding these services, not lining the pockets of fraudsters.

“We will keep using cutting-edge technology to find abuses of the system and punish those responsible. We will always be tough on fraud.”