Licence Concession Extended

[Elton]

Full details here:

 

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/News/disabilit...nce_111206.html

[Guest Ferret1959]

And so they should.

Why should it be just blue badge holders?

[Peter Waller]

Disabled folk are able, sometimes, to do rather more angling than other folk, so, arguably they should pay more. Concessions are great, but someone else has to take up the slack somewhere along the line. Perhaps working folk with demanding wives, those able to fish only so many days a year should pay less too. I have mixed feelings about this one. Perhaps it is the sponging, professional disabled who do such discredit to those that are genuinely disabled through no fault of their own that bring out the cynic in me on this one.

[Dick Dastardly]

Well thats cheered me up a bit!

 

As someone now who has to survive (and despite what you hear about loads a money on the sick for mosy of us survive is a far better description than live) It has always annoyed me that the Rod Licence concession is based on mobility rather than "means to pay".To have a "Mobility Car" or a "Blue Badge" you need to be on thre higher rate of benifit.This is a lot more than the standard rate of DLA (Dissabled Living Allowance). People on this higher rate are there fore a lot better off financially than those on the lower rate.Yet those who got the most money got the concession!

 

Peter,surely it isnt an issue of how much someone can go fishing but more if they can afford to.Its surely not a mobility or acsess issue but simply that someone who cant work through dissability/illness cant earn an income?

 

Yes there are scroungers out there.When your in my position of spending such great amounts of time at the doctors/hospital/specialist/benifits office etc etc (all of which I assure you are a thoroughly miserable and degrading experience.Also believe it or not usually an expensive one too with hospital/council office parking being so expensive.I pay £8 an hour at St Thomas's for example!) I do see lots of them.(Well I assume they are because its very easy to make assumptions when you arnyt privy to all the facts).

 

I couldnt get a concession on my licence till now as I didnt have a "Blue Badge" (strangely enough I could have got one! But as I can walk and other than being generally overweight and knackered have no mobility problems!! thought it would be taking the pi$$ to have one!) I welcome this change as it will help both me and others in my situation.I also think that now at last its fair.I dont "expect" benifits/consessions but it does get to you when others (who have more money) do and you dont!

 

I can hear some now (normally those who have never gone without in their lives) saying its all a case of getting your priorities right when you have no cash. Yes I do agree.I go without "luxureies" such as food! to be able to afford angling essentials such as a loaf of bread from ASDA or the luxurey of a pint of maggots! I swop my luxureys if you like.I cant afford to buy club/syndicate or even day tickets anymore.Im lucky that I have many kind friends who either take me fishing or allow me free acsess to their waters. But without seeming arrogant or ungratefull maybe Ive earned that privalidge over the many years when I could afford it giving generously of both my money and time?

 

I still have the luxurey of the occaisional days trout fishing! But only when Im asked to instruct for an hour or so!

 

Ive got lots of good quality tackle? yes but next time Im on the bank take a little look how old it is! All brought a long time ago in better (financially) times.Carefully looked after and maintained to tru and make it last.

 

Yes Ive got my name down for a rather expensive syndicate.The day I get on it will be the day I have to sell all of my very expensive game fishing tackle.No sob story as I cant afford to go any more and this is just simply "prioritising".

 

Being "on the sick"/"dissabled" I dont have to pay council tax,I recieve help paying my mortgage,I get money to "live" on,I get the massive bag of drugs I take each week for free. Obviously I admit this amounts to quite a big "concession" in life itself! But now for some hard facts on how a "scrounger" like me is financed-

 

I get a total amount of money (Income Support and DLA) of below £400 a month (its paid fortnightly) Out of this I still have to find £150 a month for my mortgage.(Yes I could sell the house as owning your own home in my position is a "luxurey",only problem was if I did so I would be classed as making myself "Volountrly Homeless" and struggle to get much more than a refugee at best) Bit of a Catch 22.

I also have my two lots of waterbills to pay as well as my gas and electric.Anything goes wrong with my home I cant just ring up the council! The buck stops with me! If I cant fix it or my old retired Mum bail me out then Im stuffed!

 

Now work out how much I have to pay for other luxuries such as food,tv licence,car (just couldnt afford to attend all my medical appointments etc on public transport) phone feeding my dog (yes that is a luxurey but I had him before it all went tits up,what am I meant to do get him put down? couldnt afford that even!).

 

Please dont think this is a sob story.Im lucky in having good family and friends who try and help me out best they can......

 

But dont ever tell me I shouldnt go fishing if I cant "afford" it (dont forget all the other fishing expenses I mentioned are optional to a certain extent.The Rod Licence isnt "optional" it is a legal must that is beyond my control) So I dont feel guilty about getting a concession on buying something I must anyway if I wish to fish.And please dont tell me how well off people on the sick are.......

 

BTW yes my internet conection/ISP is a luxurey....but it isnt paid for by me!

[wearyone]

I entirely agree with BUDGIE.

 

Before ever the 'Blue Badge' criteria was brought in I wrote to the EA saying the scheme would disenfranchise many many people who by the fact that they were already on benefit through being unfit for work were on a reduced income. The reply at that time was that they(the EA) were trying to get away from a income based concession to that of giving more access to those with a mobility problem.

I explained this to Dafyyd Evans at a meeting in Birmingham two years ago, he admitted that he/they did not realise how many people would be affected by just using the Blue Badge as a qualifying criteria. (and we can all give examples of abuse of the BB scheme ) Being given a BB has no connection to receiving the higher rate mobility allowance anyway. I received my Blue Badge long before I was awarded the higher rate mobility allowance.

Three times I was turned down before being awarded the higher rate.

 

I received a letter a few weeks ago from the EA saying that my concerns had been noted an acted upon.

There are many ways of being 'disabled', its just that some are less obvious, and to many a lot more serious than finding a parking space.

Just a shame no one in the Ivory Towers didn't realise sooner.

 

AND whilst I'm on my soap box, why do woman and men qualify for free prescriptions at the age of 60, when the poor old bloke has to reach 65 before he can get his concessionary Rod Licence?

I believe the NHS prescription change came about because of some EU legislation, would this not apply equally to the EA?

[chesters1]

about blooming time too.

my mrs doesent have a blue badge ,why?

2 consultants agree she's disabled ,the government agree she's disabled enough to get top rate mobility ,the council agree she's disabled and give her housing benifit so why (and i whole heartedly agree with her) is it up to some unelected ,untrained pumped up with their own self inportance tosser working for the council as a poxy clerk to decide whether she's disabled "in their eyes " enough to get a blue badge .

she refuses to lower herself to their height to get one

HOORAH though to the EA for closing this strange loophole at last

[Dick Dastardly]

some unelected ,untrained pumped up with their own self inportance tosser working for the council as a poxy clerk

 

 

Whose bloomin wages your years of paying tax when you could work went towards! Chesters for gawds sake dont wind me up and get me going on this one mate!

 

The way these snot nosed thickos look down their noses at you and condecendingly tell you that things have to be paid out of taxes you know! and dont forget you dont pay tax!!!! Some of the jobs Ive had have most likely paid more tax in one year than these pen pushers will earn a year!

 

I wont start on the old soldier bit as I once told a council idiot if it hadnt been for people like me he would be speaking Spanish and eating a diet of Corned beef!! AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH but they just make you go off on one like that dont they? Only people in people handling jobs who apear to have no people handling skills! Its almost as if they are trained to provoke you!!!

 

Enough.

 

Maybe thats a new more sedentary career I could try..............instructing diplomacy to council employees? In fact I would most likely have to explain it first.

[wearyone]

Getting off the point a little; but when I first applied for the allowance I had a doctor visit me from the DHSS and he cheered me up when he said it was refreshing to see someone with a genuine back problem

Great I thought I couldn't believe he was talking about me when I read his report My old dog could have written a more accurate report, and he'd been planted in the back garden for the past 12 years.

Fortunately I persisted and got there in the end, but not before asking the appeals tribunal doctor if he was purposely trying to wind me up.