As I said, I am not arguing whether or not he deserves a badge. I am merely defending the person who initially took the decision not to give him one from some savage attacks on here. If somebody publicly lists "playing golf" as a leisure activity, it is fair enough to question whether the person needs a Blue Badge. Quite possibly the council have a simple set of questions - such as "can the applicant climb into and drive a car?", "can the applicant walk 500m unassisted?" etc, and then prioritise applicants on that basis.
Nobody here can judge whether or not he deserves one - we do not have see the broader picture that the council have. We do not, for example, see the numbers of applicants with very serious disabilities who have to use a wheelchair, or the numbers who are blind, or are just too old and infirm to be able to walk to the shops, all of whom would presumably be higher priority for a blue badge than somebody who is fit enough to play golf. Nor do we have any access to the statistics of the number of disabled parking spaces in the borough to determine how many badges can be reasonably issued. Clearly if every applicant was issued a badge, a lot of the time they would not be able to find a disabled parking space.
Whether he (or I) are ex-RAF or ex-military really makes no difference at all when it comes to priorities for Blue Badges. You may disagree with that - but it is a fact that all disabilities are considered equal, whether they are largely self-inflicted (e.g. smokers who have legs removed) or whether they lost limbs in military service. Nor do we know what the tests are for issue of a Blue Badge in that council - some disabilities do not qualify for a Blue Badge (e.g. being deaf) as it can be argued that the disability does not prevent the person walking to the shops. Different councils have different rules, depending on their local conditions.
Wrathmonk is correct in stating that many disabled people are physically active - and not all of them expect Blue Badges. One of my former colleagues lost his leg below the knee in military service - but he does not have a Blue Badge. My former CO was run over by a drunk driver and lost both legs below the knee - he did not have a blue badge last time I saw him.
I am pleased he has got one - clearly the system does work well as he was allowed to appeal against the initial decision - but I don't understand the venom on this forum directed against the person who initially took the decision. Nor do I understand the personal attacks against me for making a very reasonable argument.
Last edited by Trim Stab; 3rd Feb 2014 at 09:08.