Bureaucracy gone bonkers

My girlfriend and I both have disabled parking permits which have to be renewed every five years. My mum also has one for when I drive her around even though she can’t drive herself as she’s deaf and blind. Both my girlfriend’s and mine are due for renewal, mine for the seventh time and my girfriend’s for the first time. Up to now it’s been plain sailing but now the local council in their infinite wisdom has decided that we must present a doctor’s certificate with our renewal application so they can assess whether or we’re still disabled enough to be eligible for a disabled permit.

Now my girlfriend and I are both amputees. I have both legs and most of the lower half of my body below the waist amputated after an accident over thirty years ago and my girlfriend has both legs amputated mid thigh, her right arm below the elbow plus all the fingers and half the thumb on her left hand as a result of sepsis six years ago.

So I phoned the council and asked them why we needed to present a doctor’s certificate considering we’re both amputees and have both previously sent in documents and pictures to prove it. The reply I got was that they had to make sure our level of disability was still the same and the only way they could do so was if we submitted a doctor’s certificate. If we didn’t then our permits would be revoked.

Now I do appreciate that some people’s situation changes for the better and that it will affect their need for disabled parking so I told them again that they already had the documentation which they could refer to and asked them in what way they thought our level of disability could have lessened, did they believe that like a lizard that’s lost its tail our arms and legs would grow back? Again they replied that they had to make sure that quote ”our current level of disability was the same or more severe than before".

At this point I had smoke coming out of my ears and realised that it was pointless trying to argue with bureaucracy and slammed the phone down. I then called our GP to arrange for an appointment to see him and prove that we are still missing various limbs so he could write a certificate. At first he said nothing and then he said several choice words about bureaucrats wasting ours and his time. Fortunately as he knows us both personally he said there was no need for an appointment and he’d fill in the necessary forms and send them to us.

So now with a bit of luck we'll both get our disabled parking permits renewed and yes we'll have to go through the same rigmarole again in five years

Re: Bureaucracy gone bonkers

Ullabi, that is the ultimate in stupidity. If it was me I would most certainly contact the local TV newsroom. I am sure that they would delight in making a big story out of this most ridiculous waste of council time. Good luck and please keep us updated. Peri.

Re: Bureaucracy gone bonkers

I'd spread this "story" far and wide, Ulla. As Peripheral says, involve your local TV station's newsroom, + radio, newspapers, anything, just to show up what idiots are being employed by your local council. It's not just a waste of the council's time, it's a total waste of your doctor's and yours too.

Re: Bureaucracy gone bonkers

Yes do that, BUT, get your permits first. Then let rip.

Re: Bureaucracy gone bonkers

I am afraid many of the 'powers that be' have a set of guidelines that they must follow and from which they will not deviate whatever the circumstances. It can be time consuming and exhausting to try to fight them, sometimes it is better for our own wellbeing to smile sweetly and let them get on with it...

Re: Bureaucracy gone bonkers

It seems that common sense has been entirely dispensed with in bureaucracy these days. No margin whatever for stretching or changing the rules. I remember when my daughter was born I went to the local post office to claim a small benefit I was entitled to. I think it was about £25. The counter staff asked me if I had any proof on me that I'd given birth. I reached down and lifted up my tiny daughter, sleeping in a soft carry cocoon at my feet. She smiled, as did other staff and customers, stamped the form and handed me the £25. I don't doubt that these days I would be told that was insufficient evidence and I must have documentation etc. etc.

Re: Bureaucracy gone bonkers

My husband is an amputee also, he lost his arm above the elbow and he gets a small disability pension but they stopped his money and he had to reapply, like he had grown a new arm or something, stupid idiots. Happy to say he got the money back but what a carry on.

My dad had a problem with his disability badge (i drive him round as he is registered blind) they said they wouldn't give him a badge because he could walk!!!! I kicked up a fuss and we finally got one. It's ridiculous sometimes what disabled people have to go through. I do hope you get parking permits, if you don't, you give them what for!

Re: Bureaucracy gone bonkers

Yes I agree with you there. Luckily we haven't had any problems with my mum's permit yet - she's totally deaf/blind. But if either of us drive her we can use our own permits.

Sorry to hear about your husband. Is he able to use a prosthesis? My girlfriend has state of the art leg and arm prostheses, though she does still have her body powered split hook prosthesis for her right arm which she uses a lot of the time

Re: Bureaucracy gone bonkers

This is another side effect of the digitalization process, no place for human intervention or common sense.

Re: Bureaucracy gone bonkers

We just renewed Mrs mart's blue badge. All done online now. A new photo was required but as regards the disability level, they were happy for us to scan in paperwork from the previous assessments and send them as PDFs.

For conditions that aren't going to change I reckon that ought to be good enough.