Must it be SO HARD to renew parking permit.
I’ve just read this letter in the E-Post tonight, and to be honest,
I thought I’d written the letter myself.
Our Council in Reading, Berks, UK (Reading Borough Council)
has itself held way up high on a pedastal.
It likes to make life extremely difficult for it’s residents who own cars, and
generally can’t wait to get their hands on even more of our hard-earned
money.
Last week (after one month from application) I received an identical
letter as the one described by S Finn. Knowing how long it takes them
to operate down at the council, I decided to struggle down in person to sort it.
I too had provided the necessary proofs required, but they deemed it
wasn’t enough. the letter said I had to provide ‘either’ an amended log
book form from the DVLA ‘or’ my current insurance certificate.
(Even though I’d already submitted both)
When I got there I was told that the insurance certificate wasn’t adequate,
even though it had ALL of the vehicle details, PLUS my name and address.
I was told that because my car was provided through the ‘Mobility’ scheme
I needed even MORE proof that I was the registered keeper.
(What more proof can we give?) Apparently, the car was deemed to be in
the same category as ‘a company car’. (HOW? I’ve no idea.)
I explained that the letter from the DVLA confirming that I WAS the registered
keeper was all the proof I could muster. Not enough though. So I came home
and photo-copied EVERY document in my possession related to the ‘Mobility’
scheme, the garage bought from and myself, then struggled back down to hand
it in in person.
I saw the same woman (who tried her best) but even then she couldn’t confirm
that the idiot I’d spoken to earlier ‘upstairs’ would accept them.
What IS this council up to?
It was a ‘renewal’ of the permit. I must have already provided the adequate proof
first time round musn’t I?
I think S Finn is absolutely correct.
They’re after even MORE of our money when the current permits run out at
the end of July through the overzealous parking wardens.
It would be interesting to know ‘JUST’ how many other Reading residents are being
sent these OBSTRUCTIVE letters.
Maybe they TOO could write into the E-Post?
Pete.
Funny this should happen to you; this happened to us for the past two years. Last year I made a trek to the Civic Centre with a high-fever as a result of the letter I received the day before telling me I did not have enough evidence for the permit. If you remember, last October there was an indefinite mail strike on so I took all possible documentation along and asked if they could give me the permit then and there; after much arguing about what had happened to the documents we sent and why we did not have a permit we were allowed to speak to some manager who we will call Mr Feltman (can’t remember his name but he was definitely a muppet so we will call him Mr Feltman)
Feltman: We can’t give you the permit
Me: Why not
Feltman: We’re not allowed to
Me: But there is a mail strike on. I guess you’re doing it so you can make money giving me tickets
Feltman: The council does not make money giving out tickets
Me: Why can’t you give me the permit?
Feltman: Because its printed in Slough
Me: Okay, I’ll go over there and pick it up
Feltman: We can’t let you do that
Me: Why
Feltman: Because it will be in a sack of letters ready to go out
Me: But you haven’t issued it yet
Feltman: We can’t let you pick it up
Me: Why not? Just tell me where it is being printed and I can do that.
Feltman: We can’t tell you, its a secret.
Me: A what?
Feltman: A secret. We can’t tell you where it is…
Me: Well that’s no good as you will give me a ticket everyday when my visitor’s permits runout
Feltman: We’ve told the parking wardens not to issue tickets until the mail strike is finished
Me: That’s fine. Could I have that in writing please.
Feltman: No, we can’t do that.
Me: Why not.
Feltman: We’re not allowed to….
By this time I’m soaked with sweat as I am both angry and ill, plus I have a wife convinced I am going to be arrested so I quit trying to get anything done. I put I note in my car saying I will get anyone fired who dares to put a ticket on my car and no ticket is posted in the month to my permit arriving but the whole experience was annoying, as was the experience of trying to complain to Mr Feltman’s manager.
So this year we get the same thing; we have copies of the documents sent and we have sent the correct documents asked for. We was standing around in the street bitching about it earlier in the months and we spoke to 4 neighbours who all had the same thing. All hate the permit scheme which is so unanimously popular in the council’s crappy self-congratulatory magazines and what have you, all resent having to send proof of living at an address when the council are happily collected council tax from them at that address. So here is what I am going to write in my complaint to the council:
1. Why do we need permits at all?
2. Why do we have to renew it every year?
3. Why do we waste money on the annual bureaucracy surrounding the scheme, as well as very expensive looking visitor’s permits?
4. Why can the council not access DVLA data like the insurance companies can, cross reference it against the electoral register and council tax payees and automatically send out permits?
5. Why are the signposts vague (permits apply to bays only, though most signs are posted outside bays; neighbours have told me the council has done it like that to discourage parking in the street).
6. Why do we need so many parking wardens when we could employ more useful council employees (binmen, police etc)?
7. Why are they not an equal opportunities employer with respect to parking wardens when they are politically correct whenever possible otherwise
8. Why do they bother having such ineffectual, inept, rude and witless staff?
9. When they claim that the scheme is very popular with local residents can they back this evidence up with evidence?
I don’t think it’s going to get any better. It’s got progressively ‘harder’ each year to renew permits.
They know they’re onto a ‘Cash-Cow’ and aren’t going to give it up easily.
Good luck with your next application.
Pete.