Prime Minister embarrassed over disabled rod licence rise

publication date: May 1, 2008

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author/source: Countryside Alliance

From the Countryside Alliance

The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, was challenged over the huge rise in rod licences for disabled anglers during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons yesterday. The visibly uncomfortable Prime Minister pledged to look into the 37% increase saying: “I will look at the facts…and see what has happened to bring that about”.

Leominster MP, Bill Wiggin, raised the issue as part of the Countryside Alliance’s campaign against the 37% rise in the cost of concessionary rod licences for pensioners and disabled anglers imposed by the Environment Agency and Defra Minister Jonathan Shaw. Mr. Wiggin has promised to follow up his question and get a full response from the Prime Minister.

Simon Hart, Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance, said: “It is too late to redress the damage this year, but we are calling of the Government to commit to a five year freeze on concessionary rod licence fees to bring them back down to a sensible level.”

“The Prime Minister was rightly embarrassed when confronted with the huge rise in the cost of rod licences for disabled anglers. Between 2003 and 2007 anglers contributed an extra £4.4 million through rod licence fees yet the Environment Agency was forced to raise fees further in 2008 in the face of Government funding cuts.

“Whilst budget cuts are beyond the Environment Agency’s control, the decision to raise concessionary licence fees by so much was insensitive and misguided. The Agency should not have proposed the 37% rise for pensioner and disabled anglers and the Minister, Jonathan Shaw, should certainly not have agreed it.”