Brighton and Hove Blue Badge holders to pay more

Up to 13,000 Blue Badge holders in Brighton and Hove are likely to have to pay £10 when they renew their badge – up from £2.

The price rise – the first since 1983 – is expected to be approved by the Brighton and Hove City Council cabinet at a meeting on Thursday 19 January.

If it is approved, it will take effect from Sunday 1 April, with badges being valid for three years.

From New Year’s Day all new badges will be made from a plastic-based material rather than cardboard.

The badges are expected to be more robust and to include a hologram, making them much harder to forge.

The change is being introduced to try to tackle Blue Badge fraud by making the badges more difficult to copy.

Councillor Ian Davey, the council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “Blue Badges are essential for disabled people to enable them to have access to the city and it is important that the badges are used by those who really need them.

“We welcome moves nationally to tackle fraud. Locally we have had some real success in this area.

“We’ve seen a dramatic 25 per cent drop in thefts of Blue Badges from disabled badge holders over the last year (2010-11) since the council joined forces with Sussex Police and NSL’s civil enforcement officers to identify and recover lost and stolen badges.

“We also work with East Sussex and all other councils in the country should one of their badges be being misused in Brighton and Hove.”