Joined-up government

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 2:11 pm

Shameless rant.

Last month I got a letter from Islington council to let me know that my parking permit (that allows me to park in the road outside my house) would expire at the end of June. I filled in the direct debit forms and returned it to them.

I was a bit worried that my permit hadn't turned up so I phoned the council today. The extremely rude woman who answered said that my apllication had been rejected as they had no proof that I was still living at this address, and that I should have included a council tax bill with the application.

Let's just examine that for a second. Islington council wanted me to send them a council tax bill as proof that I was still living at this address. Who do I pay my ****ing council tax to every month? Is it Islington council? I think it is, for ****'s sake. In fact I have been paying council tax to them for this address for THREE YEARS now. You'd think someone might have made a note of that somewhere.

Now I have ten days to get the forms sent back out to me, fill them out include a ****ing council tax bill, send them back and then hope that the permit arrives before the 1st July otherwise my car will be clamped for an £80 fine. Unbelievable. It's not like I sent them off TWO MONTHS in advance so as to avoid this kind of crap or anything.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 3:56 pm

... they didn't even send you a letter saying that your permit had been rejected (on the grounds that you didn't supply documentation that they actually produce for you)?

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 4:23 pm

Brendocon wrote:... they didn't even send you a letter saying that your permit had been rejected (on the grounds that you didn't supply documentation that they actually produce for you)?

Apparently they did. It never arrived.

Post by **Kaylee** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 4:26 pm

Ah councils. Short sighted, ineffective and shamelessly selfish- but if there's one thing they won't stand for it's you not paying your taxes/bills/fines on time! Including resident permits

Pissin' Poonani · Post by **Pissin' Poonani** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 4:27 pm

The one and only practical piece of advice I can think of would be this:

Recorded Delivery

If they've been tossers up to this point, don't give them the option of claiming your letter turned up too late, or not at all.

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 4:28 pm

Good advice, PP. Will do.

Pissin' Poonani · Post by **Pissin' Poonani** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 4:37 pm

Metal Vendetta wrote:Good advice, PP. Will do.

No worries mate-I always send important stuff recorded delivery, especially if I could lose out financially should it go 'missing'.

Peeps is sneaky nowadays-not like in the good old days, when all this were the Krays' and y'could go out and leave your daughters unlocked, etc, etc..

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 11:49 pm

Metal Vendetta wrote:
Brendocon wrote:... they didn't even send you a letter saying that your permit had been rejected (on the grounds that you didn't supply documentation that they actually produce for you)?
Apparently they did. It never arrived.

Seeing as they didn't believe you lived where you live, they could've sent it to anywhere.

Beaurocracy has become a real stunter to social growth.

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 1:03 am

councils + governement + reality = the bull **** of real life controll

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 12:23 pm

So I've sent off a copy of my council tax bill and a copy of my vehicle registration document, because I need something to prove that the car is registered at this address, and that I pay the council tax here. I asked the guy why they needed to see both of these and he said it's so that they can make sure that I actually live here (in order to qualify for a resident's permit) and that I don't, say, pay the council tax and leave the car outside the house while I live somewhere else.

And I'm trying to work out how one is proof of the other. Surely if I'm that desperate to get a parking permit for my street that I'm going to pay the council tax every month, then it's not beyond my powers to register the car to that address as well. It's completely pointless, and it's just cost me 28p in photocopies.

Post by **Kaylee** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 1:26 pm

Metal Vendetta wrote:and it's just cost me 28p in photocopies.

Damn the expense!!

[/cheeky]

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 1:47 pm

Send them a bill.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 7:16 pm

Ask them for seventeen items of proof that their your local council.

sprunkner · Post by **sprunkner** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 6:53 pm

They're all Vogons.