Windsor and Maidenhead Blue Badge Checks: 18 Badges Seized

Council fraud officers seized 18 blue badges during a crackdown on misuse in Windsor and Maidenhead. They checked 413 parked vehicles over three days at locations the council judged high risk.

The figures are in the latest update from the Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit, which works for the Royal Borough. It went to the council’s Audit and Governance Committee on Monday 7 September. The report says the checks ran during 2025/26. It does not say which days, or which car parks and streets were targeted. (Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit update, 7 September 2026)

What the three days found

• 413 vehicles checked
• 18 badges seized
• 18 penalty charge notices issued
• 10 warning letters sent to residents
• 4 badges returned to the authorities that issued them

That means a badge was taken from roughly one vehicle in every 23 checked. Because the officers went to places already picked out as high risk, that rate should not be read as typical for the borough as a whole.

The council has about 9,531 blue badges in issue. The report notes that since August 2019 the scheme has also covered people with hidden disabilities, such as autism, dementia, Parkinson’s and some mental illnesses. Badges are open to eligible people whether they drive or travel as a passenger.

More checks to come

The unit says a media campaign is planned. It will explain who is eligible, what counts as correct use, and how misuse affects genuine badge holders. It will also warn that anyone caught misusing a badge in future could face a fixed penalty, lose the badge or be prosecuted. “Further activity is planned for this year,” the report says.

The council pays the unit a fixed £10,000 for 2026/27, plus £400 a day for up to 100 days of operational work. By 31 July, 16.25 of those days had been used.

The rest of the fraud report

The same update covers the council’s part in the Cabinet Office’s National Fraud Initiative, which matches data between public bodies:

• Council tax: 1,903 matches from the 2024/25 data were reviewed. Twelve are still open, all relating to people who have died. A further 1,671 matches from 2025/26 are now being checked.
• Housing waiting list: 60 matches led to 20 recommendations and 5 applications being removed. The initiative values each removal at £4,283 in avoided temporary accommodation costs, £21,415 in all.
• New referrals: 26 came in between April and June. None was opened as an investigation; the report says referrals can be passed to other bodies, lack detail, or only need advice.

The council made no applications for covert surveillance under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act in 2024 or 2025. It made 7 non-RIPA applications in 2024 and 4 in 2025, all for test purchases. The Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office, which inspects every three years, is inspecting the council now.

What it means for you

• If you hold a badge, the council’s own guidance on using a blue badge sets out the rules.
• Where badges work locally: in council car parks a badge parks free in any non-reserved bay, and on street it allows up to three hours on yellow lines. It does not exempt you from the Guard Change Route ban in Windsor. Full details are on our parking in Windsor page.
• If you have been sent a warning letter or a penalty, the report makes clear that future misuse could mean a fixed penalty, a confiscated badge or prosecution.

The next update from the unit is due in about six months, as the report says they are given twice a year.