Anger At Rising Cost Of Concessionary Rod Licences

[Mat Hillman]

Budgie, IMO you deserve a cheaper licence and so does anyone else in the same boat as yourself.

 

I certainly agree with you there Tigger, but I'd still say that disability was the wrong reason for budgie (or anyone else) to get the discount.

 

Under the current rules a Millionaire who qualifies for a blue badge also gets the discount.

 

I'd much rather see the system changed to allow anyone who is on a means tested benefit, such as budgies Dissabled Living Allowance, Income support or similar, so that the help goes where it is really makes a difference.

 

And Budgie, have you been to see you local citizens advice center and made sure you are getting everything you should, those figures seem very low to me.

 

Mat

[Dick Dastardly]

I certainly agree with you there Tigger, but I'd still say that disability was the wrong reason for budgie (or anyone else) to get the discount.

 

Under the current rules a Millionaire who qualifies for a blue badge also gets the discount.

 

I'd much rather see the system changed to allow anyone who is on a means tested benefit, such as budgies Dissabled Living Allowance, Income support or similar, so that the help goes where it is really makes a difference.

 

And Budgie, have you been to see you local citizens advice center and made sure you are getting everything you should, those figures seem very low to me.

 

Mat

 

I agree that it should be more "means tested" as indeed why should a person who can afford it (be it either due to personal wealth or extra income through higher rate benifits) need a concession?

 

Matt,I also found it hard to believe that was all I was entitled to but it seems to be the case.I understand and agree that benifits shouldnt be made a "better" option to earning a wage but when you have no choice it seems a bit unfair to have to stuggle and rely on family and friends for that bit better quality of life.

 

Paying the extra for my mortgage really does cause financial hardship and the worry of something going wrong ie roof or plumbing etc with it is a constant worry.When I brought the house (when in reasonable health and working full time) I thought I was doing the "right" thing in homing myself! also in reality I had to buy a house when I returned to this country from France as I simply couldnt afford to rent one.If I were to give up/sell my house it would be classed as making myself "voluntarily homeless" so no council house! A no win situation!! Absolute madness.

 

However I accept my situation,try to be gratefull that the system does supply something for me and not to whine about it....just get the hump when Im told what massive amounts of benifit Im getting.........

 

 

For all of you still working and paying tax I can understand the frustration of some people getting benifits/concessions/"Blue Badges" etc it must really gall you but let me assure you it galls me even more when some one in my position sees the many who are getting far more who either dont need or deserve it.

Edited August 23, 2007 by BUDGIE

[Ken L]

Disability Living Allowance isn't means tested.

Disability Living Allowance isn't limited to people who arn't working.

You can be working and earning £100K a year and still recieve it.

 

To automatically get a consesion on your rod licence you need to have a blue badge, and to get a blue badge, you need to be recieving the higher rate of the mobility component of DLA.

The qualifying conditions for this are that you must be:

 

Unable or virtually unable to walk due to a physical disability

 

or have had both legs amputated at or above the ankle

 

or be born without legs or feet

 

or be both deaf and blind and need someone with you outdoors

 

or be severely mentally impaired, with severe behavioural problems and qualifying for the highest rate of the care component

 

or the effort required to walk would cause a danger to your life or cause deterioration in your health

 

 

With the exception of being both deaf and blind, any one of these conditions would stop you from fishing more than about 30m away from where you park your car.

Edited August 23, 2007 by Ken L

[Dick Dastardly]

Disability Living Allowance isn't means tested.

Disability Living Allowance isn't limited to people who arn't working.

You can be working and earning £100K a year and still recieve it.

 

To automatically get a consesion on your rod licence you need to have a blue badge, and to get a blue badge, you need to be recieving the higher rate of the mobility component of DLA.

The qualifying conditions for this are that you must be:

 

Unable or virtually unable to walk due to a physical disability

 

or have had both legs amputated at or above the ankle

 

or be born without legs or feet

 

or be both deaf and blind and need someone with you outdoors

 

or be severely mentally impaired, with severe behavioural problems and qualifying for the highest rate of the care component

 

or the effort required to walk would cause a danger to your life or cause deterioration in your health

With the exception of being both deaf and blind, any one of these conditions would stop you from fishing more than about 30m away from where you park your car.

 

No one said it was means tested Ken.We were just saying that we thought concessions should be means tested.

 

You are wrong about the Rod Licence consession.It used to be that you had to produce a "Blue Badge" to get it but it has now changed (read my initial post) Now if you are in receipt of any form of disability benifit you can get the concession as long as you provide proof of this at the time of purchase.

 

Im glad the whole "Blue Badge" to get your concession bit was scrapped as it was most unfair (IMHO) as in general it was/is (and not all as you say) People in receipt of the Higher Rate of Mobility Allowance that got it.This is quite a lot more cash wise!

 

Also the "Blue Badge" system is an absolute disgrace. I see it abused all the time.

 

As I said there seems to be a lot of people who "KNOW" the "facts" about this subject....................

[Mat Hillman]

Disability Living Allowance isn't means tested.

Disability Living Allowance isn't limited to people who arn't working.

You can be working and earning £100K a year and still recieve it.

 

To automatically get a consesion on your rod licence you need to have a blue badge, and to get a blue badge, you need to be recieving the higher rate of the mobility component of DLA.

The qualifying conditions for this are that you must be:

 

Unable or virtually unable to walk due to a physical disability

 

or have had both legs amputated at or above the ankle

 

or be born without legs or feet

 

or be both deaf and blind and need someone with you outdoors

 

or be severely mentally impaired, with severe behavioural problems and qualifying for the highest rate of the care component

 

or the effort required to walk would cause a danger to your life or cause deterioration in your health

With the exception of being both deaf and blind, any one of these conditions would stop you from fishing more than about 30m away from where you park your car.

 

 

I had no idea the official requirements were so tight to get a blue badge! I didn't realise it wasn't means tested, I've not had a lot of contact with the benefit system.

 

Does make me wonder about the people I regularly see parking in the disabled spaces at my local sainsburys who seem fit enough to push a fully loaded trolly all the way around the shop . . .

 

 

Mat

[Dick Dastardly]

Does make me wonder about the people I regularly see parking in the disabled spaces at my local sainsburys who seem fit enough to push a fully loaded trolly all the way around the shop . . .

Mat

 

As I said Matt it is truely abused.Mind you a lot of that is down to the people administering it.

[gozzer]

I had no idea the official requirements were so tight to get a blue badge! I didn't realise it wasn't means tested, I've not had a lot of contact with the benefit system.

 

Does make me wonder about the people I regularly see parking in the disabled spaces at my local sainsburys who seem fit enough to push a fully loaded trolly all the way around the shop . . .

Mat

 

It does get abused, but, things are not always as they seem Mat.

 

We used to take my late Mother-in-law, for her weekly shop. She had the Blue Badge.

My wife used to push her in the wheel chair, while I pushed the trolley.

Sometimes I would get 'verbals' from someone when I took the trolley to the car, before going back to help my wife push the wheel chair.

 

John.

[Ken L]

No one said it was means tested Ken.We were just saying that we thought concessions should be means tested.

 

You are wrong about the Rod Licence consession.It used to be that you had to produce a "Blue Badge" to get it but it has now changed (read my initial post) Now if you are in receipt of any form of disability benifit you can get the concession as long as you provide proof of this at the time of purchase.

 

Sorry for taking this off topic but Matt said

I'd much rather see the system changed to allow anyone who is on a means tested benefit, such as budgies Dissabled Living Allowance

and of course, DLA isn't means tested.

 

I'm not qoing to cut and paste from an external website but the current EA guidance on consessions is at the bottom of this page http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subje...n=1&lang=_e and there are more details if you click on the link it contains. The EA still seem to think you need a blue badge to get the concession.

[Mat Hillman]

It does get abused, but, things are not always as they seem Mat.

 

We used to take my late Mother-in-law, for her weekly shop. She had the Blue Badge.

My wife used to push her in the wheel chair, while I pushed the trolley.

Sometimes I would get 'verbals' from someone when I took the trolley to the car, before going back to help my wife push the wheel chair.

 

John.

 

 

I know, my Nan had one for the last few years of her life, and I used to use it to take her out when I could, but the thought never crossed my mind to use it when she wasn't with me. Although it was an orange badge back then, not a blue one!

 

It's a shame that the idiots that do abuse them make us all suspicious of the people that do deserve a little helping hand like a blue badge

 

Mat

[Dick Dastardly]

Rather than quoting a link to a website Ken all I will say is are you in receipt of DLA or do you have a conssesionary licence? I can answer yes to both.

 

That said I can now see why you mentioned means testing in relation to DLA. That was me not reading your reply correctly!

Edited August 23, 2007 by BUDGIE