EFFORTS to tackle fraud in York have included prosecuting people for misusing Blue Badges and revoking parking permits used by holiday lets, according to a report.
A total of 20 investigations into parking fraud were carried out in the year up to March, the report from Veritau stated.
Blue Badge misuse was involved in 15 of those cases, with four related to residential parking (ResPark) permits and one to a bus pass.
Veritau, which carries out counter-fraud work on behalf of City of York Council, stated the misuse of Blue Badges remains an issue, with measures in place to control who can get them.
It comes as part of Veritau’s yearly report on its efforts to tackle fraud affected the council in 2025/6.
The company saved the council £220,000 due to its counter-fraud efforts, above the £200,000-a-year target.
A total of 301 reports of suspected fraud were made throughout the year, resulting in 84 investigations which were successful in 56 per cent of cases.
Outcomes of investigations included the recovery of two council properties, and warnings being issued to 11 people.
A Right to Buy application was also halted following an investigation, while 11 internal council probes were completed and £20,000 in debt owed to the authority was also found.
Three days of action were launched against Blue Badge misuse in York in 2025/6, including one done as part of a national effort in May.
On one of the days of action in December, 123 Blue Badges were checked for potential misuse and two instances of misuse were found and investigated further.
The year saw two prosecutions successfully made in relation to Blue Badge misuse.
One involved someone using their relative’s and claiming it was their own.
The other related to a Blue Badge issued by another council being used in York after it was reported as stolen.
Of the 20 parking fraud cases investigated in 2025/6, four people accepted formal cautions to avoid prosecutions and six more were warned about their conduct.
Four ResPark permits were also revoked due to them being used by guest houses and holiday lets.
Organised criminals also targeted council car parks during the year in attempted ‘quishing’ scams.
The scams see QR codes placed at car parks which send people who scan them to fake websites which ask for their payment details and take money from them.
Veritau stated around a third of council car parks in the UK have been affected by the scams which a range of other areas including hospitality, advertising and communications.
The company’s report stated that although the financial risk to the council from Blue Badge misuse was low, it affected the lives of disabled residents and visitors.
It stated: “Increased footfall in the city during the winter months can reduce the availability of disabled bays on roads and car parks in the city centre.
“Misuse of Blue Badges puts additional pressure on disabled residents and visitors during this time.
“Warnings are issued to people who misuse parking permits and Blue Badges, serious cases of both types of fraud are considered for prosecution.”
