A former member of staff of Slough Children First, who used her mother’s blue badge to park for free when at work has been fined following a prosecution by Slough Borough Council.

Karen Brown, 64, from Checkendon in Oxfordshire, was convicted after pleading guilty by post of two offences contrary to section 117 (1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 in that the disabled person’s badge was displayed otherwise than in accordance with the Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (England) Regulations 2000 on 3 December 2025 and 4 December 2025 at Herschel Car Park in Slough.

Ms Brown had parked at Herschel Car Park to attend her then workplace, Observatory House, which is the council’s and Slough Childrens First’s headquarters.

A further 29 suspected cases of Ms Brown misusing her mother’s blue badge were also presented to magistrates at East Berkshire Magistrates Court on 10 July 2026.

Ms Brown was fined £429 – reduced from £639 due to her early guilty plea and previously clean record – and a victim support contribution of £170.

The council was also awarded costs of £404.

Councillor Ejaz Ahmed, lead member for corporate resources, said: “Blue badges are there for one reason and one reason only; to help those with mobility problems access services, shops and other facilities without the need to walk a distance they cannot manage.

“They are not, and never have been, for perfectly healthy and mobile people to try and avoid parking charges.

“For Ms Brown to have done this is claiming a benefit she was not entitled to and is an insult to all those who need blue badges to be able to live independent lives.

“That she was a member of staff in our building shows how seriously we take fraudulent use of blue badges no matter who is misusing them. I hope this serves as a deterrent to others who may think it is OK to block disabled bays and on-street parking areas from those who genuinely need them.”

Though Ms Brown was an officer of Slough Children First at the time of the offence, she subsequently resigned her position.