Overview

• Officials say more than 22,000 permits were voided between April 2024 and May 2025 after checks found badges still in use following holders’ deaths.
• The Cabinet Office described an illegal market for badges and estimated each permit can be worth up to £800 in avoided fees and charges.
• Ministers link the cancellations to a wider anti-fraud drive that reclaimed £480 million in the past year using data-matching and an AI system.
• The government says enforcement has been strengthened, enabling plain-clothed officers to inspect permits and confiscate those misused.
• The Cabinet Office does not hold data on how many voided badges were actively abused, with detailed misuse records residing with local councils.