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A 90-year-old Wapping widow faces over £1,000 in parking fines due to Tower Hamlets Council's failure to renew her Blue Badge on time, despite her early application. Read about June Olley's six-month ordeal and the council's "backlog" excuse.
A 90-year-old Wapping widow has been slapped with over £1,000 in parking fines after Tower Hamlets Council (THC) allegedly failed to renew her crucial Blue Badge, leaving her in a six-month "limbo" and struggling to maintain her independence.
June Olley, from Wapping, first applied to renew her Blue Badge in November last year – a full three months before its expiry. She was proactively warned by THC of an "up to 12-week wait" for new badges, prompting her early submission. Yet, seven months on, June still awaits her renewed badge, receiving dozens of parking fines in the interim.
"It is absolutely devastating," June told the Metro. "I’m sick to death that they don’t respond, they don’t give any clues. It is stressful, it is not nice to get these letters about the fines I’ve received. I don’t set out to get a fine, but it happens. Almost once a week."
June, a long-time resident of St Katharine’s Docks who relies on her car due to breathlessness when walking, describes her vehicle as a "lifeline." It enables her to visit her children, teach weekly meditation classes in Hertfordshire, and even transport neighbours to medical appointments. Without her badge, these essential activities are jeopardised.
Unable to navigate online applications, June's Ukrainian lodger submitted the renewal for her in November. Despite leaving numerous messages on council numbers, June claims she heard nothing back. Growing increasingly anxious by late January, she visited the Town Hall in Whitechapel, where she was advised to send a prompt. In February, she received a call promising resolution within 10 days – a promise that was never kept.
For the past six months, June has continued to use her car, displaying her expired Blue Badge with a handwritten note explaining her predicament. However, traffic wardens have largely ignored her plea. "Occasionally, you get a warden who turns a blind eye, but often they give you a ticket," she said. "I end up paying, because I cannot just be stuck in my flat."
Eventually, after June "moaned about it to everybody," her son submitted a new application, but she is still awaiting a response. While June acknowledges she is fortunate enough to afford the fines, avoiding bailiffs, she feels "indignant" for others less fortunate caught in similar administrative traps.
She highlighted the irony of official advice encouraging elderly people living alone to socialise and exercise. "Everything I do requires my car, because I can’t really go anywhere except by my car," she explained, detailing her active social life and gym attendance, all enabled by her vehicle.
A spokesperson from Tower Hamlets Council apologised for Ms. Olley’s experience, emphasizing the importance of Blue Badges for independence. THC stated they sent letters on March 4 and June 12, 2025, requesting evidence of her disability, claiming that without this, the Department for Transport system prevents them from progressing the application. June, however, insists she received no such letters at her address, which has a 24-hour porter.
THC also clarified that they do not charge a fee for Blue Badge applications and offered to investigate if Ms. Olley made any related payments. They further stated their commitment to improving the application process with a new case management system for "a more efficient and responsive service." A senior officer is now reviewing Ms. Olley’s latest application, with a team member set to contact her directly.
This incident casts a spotlight on the challenges faced by vulnerable residents navigating complex council processes and highlights the critical need for efficient and compassionate public services, especially when vital support like a Blue Badge is at stake.
Source-Metro
