Anger At Rising Cost Of Concessionary Rod Licences

[Dunk Fairley]

Angling has been "suggested" by many doctors over the years, to help with the symtoms of as Janet said, Manic depression. It is also great at helping people with agraphobia, arthritis, ADHD, and quite a number of things. I had to prepare a document for Lambeth Council a few years ago, to justify angling on Clapham Common. In my research, I spoke to a number of medical rssearch types, who gave me the info.

 

For years, I've had problems with my legs (too many bike smashes). For some reason, even though I've been in intense pain after walking (angling or not) , I've never been classed as disabled, therefore, I've never been eligable for a concessionary licence. But I really believe that angling has been the one reason why I still manage to get about. If I didn't have the cahllenge of walking long distances to fish, I'd have seized up totally.

 

Ironically, when they replaced my hip a few years ago, they told me that there was now no disablement at all, so I'd definately not qualify in the forsaeeable future. Now I've broken my hip for the third time and they may replace my hip again, they say I may qualify. Ho Hum.

[Steve Walker]

Let me finish this long post then by asking members how they think this shortfall in government funding to angling should be made up?

 

Actually, I can think of lots of areas where public money is spent to benefit a smaller demographic than us, but I've just heard about a complete and utter waste of 10 million pounds; this video of Richard Dawkins talking about non-evidence based medicine mentions that 10 million pounds of taxpayers money was spent refurbishing the Royal Homeopathic Hospital.

 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=86...14976&hl=en

[GlennB]

Actually, I can think of lots of areas where public money is spent to benefit a smaller demographic than us, but I've just heard about a complete and utter waste of 10 million pounds; this video of Richard Dawkins talking about non-evidence based medicine mentions that 10 million pounds of taxpayers money was spent refurbishing the Royal Homeopathic Hospital.

 

What ?!

I thought distilled water was just the job to cure what ails you

[obe1]

Unfortunately, this Government has much reduced the subsidy that used to be paid to us anglers via the EA and that came out of general taxation. The result is a Catch 22 for the EA that has had to reduce services substantially and has had to make a lot of staff redundant.

 

The EA is now trying to balance the books by increasing its income. However, as I’ve posted earlier on this topic, I don’t think that their current proposals are the best option.

 

 

As much as it grieves me to stick up for the government the main reason for the EA's recent shortfall is because Defra assumed it was going to get a larger budget than it did and ended up with a £200 million deficit, muppets can't even add.

Pretty much agree with everything else though.

 

Joe

Edited August 22, 2007 by obe1

[obe1]

The same arguement could be made for most anglers - A working anlger only gets the oppertunity to use his licence at the weekends, maybe he should get a discount ? A single parent can only fish places safe to take his/her kids along too, so they deserve a discount!

 

Yes but a working angler has the choice to fish evenings, a single parent has the choice to go alone, an angler in a wheelchair does not have the choice of walking.

 

I'm overweight and anemic, I can't carry my gear very far without getting seriously out of breath, Do I get a discount as all the swims more than a hundred yards or so from the carpark are pretty much inaccesable to me?

 

If you can't access all those swims because of health reasons then in my opinion yes you should get some sort of discount because you can not get the full benefits of the licence.

 

Seems to me that once you make a specal case for one part of society to get a discount, you could make special cases for just about everyone to get a discount!

 

Yes that's true but we do have to make concesions, I mean should blind people have to pay a full TV licence.

 

And I'd love to know more about the health reasons that would require someone to go fishing Sounds like a good line I could try on my wife when she moans that I'm out fishing to much !

 

I think that's already been answered enough.

 

Joe

[Steve Walker]

10 million pounds of taxpayers money was spent refurbishing the Royal Homeopathic Hospital.

 

What ?!

I thought distilled water was just the job to cure what ails you

 

And who could imagine that it would be so expensive? I might buy a still!

[obe1]

Actually, I can think of lots of areas where public money is spent to benefit a smaller demographic than us, but I've just heard about a complete and utter waste of 10 million pounds; this video of Richard Dawkins talking about non-evidence based medicine mentions that 10 million pounds of taxpayers money was spent refurbishing the Royal Homeopathic Hospital.

 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=86...14976&hl=en

 

 

would not suprise me in the slightest

 

Joe

[ljk]

Yes but a working angler has the choice to fish evenings, a single parent has the choice to go alone, an angler in a wheelchair does not have the choice of walking.

 

But there's no provision with the license as to 'where' you should be able to fish - simply to fish on whatever water I can access and have permission for. Many fishery owners already seem to go to great lengths to make as many swims wheelchair friendly as they economically can.

 

If you can't access all those swims because of health reasons then in my opinion yes you should get some sort of discount because you can not get the full benefits of the licence.

 

You do - the water is there and it has fish in it. The EA have no remit to make every piece of water available to every angler. If they had to go down that road there would be miles of tarmac, carefully constructed wheelchair friendly platforms every twenty yards and a gang of people waiting at every car park to push wheel chairs to the selected swims - But then of course there would be no money left for the upkeep of the waters themselves nor for restocking, but what the hey, at least one group would be satisfied, and claiming further concessions because there's no bl**dy fish in the swims!

 

Yes that's true but we do have to make concessions, I mean should blind people have to pay a full TV licence.

 

They don't have to - they only pay 50 per cent, based on the fact that many blind people have sighted carers who also benefit from the concessionary rate.

 

Len

[Ken L]

I have to say that I'm no fan of consessions.

Tesco doesn't check to see if your a pensioner and then knock 40% off the bill, so why do people expect public bodies to do it ?

 

People have mentioned pensioners, the unemployed and those on low incomes as worthy recipients of a consession. Why ? It is a basic fact of life that the harder you work, the more you earn and the more you can afford to play, and those not working curently not only pay less than I do for a fishing licence but get to go fishing pretty much whenever they like as well, which certanly isn't possible with a full time job.

 

The disabled are a more interesting argument. Providing access for those with physical disabilities is required by law and doesn't come cheap. Why then do people expect to recieve the benefits of all this work and then pay less for it ?

Disabled people can recieve state benefits to assist them with the extra costs involved in living with disability (whether they're working or not) so where's the sence in adding pointless layers of beurocracy to give them discounts when they come to use services as well ?

 

Kids. OK, I agree with discounts for kids. Not for some wishy wash sentimental reason but because kids are the full fee paying adults of tomorrow and like any good drug dealer, I reckognise the long term benefits to angling of getting people hooked at a discount.

[obe1]

But there's no provision with the license as to 'where' you should be able to fish - simply to fish on whatever water I can access and have permission for. Many fishery owners already seem to go to great lengths to make as many swims wheelchair friendly as they economically can.

 

 

 

You do - the water is there and it has fish in it. The EA have no remit to make every piece of water available to every angler. If they had to go down that road there would be miles of tarmac, carefully constructed wheelchair friendly platforms every twenty yards and a gang of people waiting at every car park to push wheel chairs to the selected swims - But then of course there would be no money left for the upkeep of the waters themselves nor for restocking, but what the hey, at least one group would be satisfied, and claiming further concessions because there's no bl**dy fish in the swims!

 

 

 

They don't have to - they only pay 50 per cent, based on the fact that many blind people have sighted carers who also benefit from the concessionary rate.

 

Len

 

I know they don't that was my point, your argument of there should be no concessions would mean that they would have to pay for a full TV livence.

A rod licence is a lawful document that allows you to fish with rod and line on any inland water so long as you have permission, now if can not access a lot of that water through a disability then why should you have to pay the full amount.

The argument that there would be no money left for the upkeep of waters is rediculouse, most of the waters in the UK receive no money from the EA at all. Privately owned waters such as commercials have to pay for their own upkeep including most of their restocking and their own disabled access although there are grants avaliable but they are from the government and the EU.

I can think of no other tax wherby you would have to pay the full amount of that tax but only be able to access a small percentage of the service.

I can see your point about the water is there and the fish are there but that isn't really much use if a disabled angler can't get to them.

 

Joe