Overview

• The Department for Transport said it will not introduce automatic renewals for holders aged over 80, citing the need for councils to confirm eligibility on a three‑year cycle.
• Government guidance makes clear that lending or misusing a badge is a criminal offence carrying fines of up to £1,000 and potential confiscation.
• Concessions include use of on‑street meters and, in many areas, parking on single or double yellow lines for up to three hours with a correctly displayed clock, except where loading restrictions apply.
• Holders are barred from specific locations such as bus, tram and cycle lanes, pedestrian crossings and zigzags, loading bays, suspended bays, clearways, resident or taxi spaces, and red routes during operating hours.
• Rules differ by council and in private car parks where payment or registration may still be required, and new DfT figures show 2.84 million badges are held in England, reinforcing stepped‑up enforcement.