Allan Young described his experience as “disgusting”
Allan Young at his home in West Derby(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A man whose life took a drastic turn two years ago says he has been let down by his former employers. Allan Young, 76, from West Derby, has arthritis, asthma, diabetes and vertigo.
Allan was already finding it a struggle to get around, but two years ago his condition worsened severely when he had a mini-stroke. He now has a walking stick and decided to apply for a Blue Badge around four months ago so he could park closer to the shops.
However, he is still waiting to receive it and is angry at Liverpool City Council, who he used to work for, about the wait. When contacted by the ECHO, the council revealed a “small number” of Blue Badge applications were affected by a technical issue, which has now been resolved.
Allan claims that, since he applied for a Blue Badge, all he has been told is that his application is “still being processed”.
Explaining why he applied, Allan said: “I’m arthritic, diabetic, asthmatic and have vertigo. The DVLA have been informed of all my ailments, as have my insurance company.
“It’s slowly getting worse. I had a mini-stroke two years ago. My right side went dead, completely dead. I was in a darts match and was next up. I had to go outside and phone an ambulance.
Allan has applied for a Blue Badge(Image: Liverpool Echo)
“I walk with a stick now. Because of the vertigo, I’ve fallen out of bed twice in the past week. I’ve fallen in the street once.”
Allan initially thought the Blue Badge application would be straightforward. He said: “When I applied at the One Stop Shop, I was told there would be no problem with the Blue Badge.
“When I phoned up a week later, I was told by a man it will take at least 12 weeks (to get it). It has now been 17 weeks at least. I’m still waiting.
“They haven’t acknowledged the application. I’ve phoned them about five times and each time I get fobbed off. I just got told it’s still being processed. I’m just fed up.”
Allan now feels let down by the council. He said: “It feels like my 26 years of service to Liverpool City Council was a waste of time. I worked as a senior officer and principal officer.
“I just think it’s disgusting that you wait so long for something that can help you. When I go to the shops, I won’t use the blue badge.
“I’ve always been law abiding. I’m just fed up with it. I think they are waiting for me to die so they don’t have to give me it.”
When the ECHO contacted the council with Allan’s claims, a spokesperson said: “We are aware that a small number of Blue Badge applications submitted in late August were affected by a technical issue that prevented them from entering our assessment queue.
“This issue has now been identified and resolved.
“We recognise how important the Blue Badge scheme is to residents, and we are committed to providing a timely and supportive service.
“We will continue to monitor our systems and processes to ensure applications progress as smoothly as possible.”