Please help cut blue badge thefts in Ealing

Last year my wife had her blue badge stolen. As well as the emotional distress, it massively reduced my wife's independence to go to work, collect our kids from school, and to see family and friends.

But my wife is not alone. In 2023, 473 people had their blue badges stolen in Ealing (ten times the number in 2019). Ealing has the 4 highest number of stolen blue badges in London.

I'm campaigning - with the help of Ealing Liberal Democrats - to get the Council and the Police to take thefts more seriously by proactively working with blue badge holders to keep their vehicles secure, and to introduce an electronic blue badge scheme, which works effectively in other London Boroughs.

This campaign is personal for me. I don't want other vulnerable people in Ealing to suffer the same distress and disruption to their lives as my wife.

So please sign our petition to help reduce the number of blue badge thefts in Ealing.

We the undersigned call on Ealing Council to reduce the number of blue badge thefts in the borough by:

1. Introducing a Companion Badge / Electronic Blue Badge in Ealing
2. Involving residents with blue badges in the design of such a scheme
3. Publicising more widely the Council's work to prosecute blue badge criminals and people who are fraudulently using blue badges as a deterrent.
4. Publicising more widely the Council’s message that people should report suspected fraudulent uses of blue badges and why it is important given the impact on the emotional and financial impact on the victims.
5. Writing to every blue badge owner in Ealing to publicise the council’s offer of a free residents parking permit and a disabled bay permit to increase take up
6. Working with the Police, write to every blue badge holder in Ealing to offer safety advice on how to protect their blue badge in their car.