Theresa May wants to reduce our human rights, but don't worry it will only affect the lower classes, the non-cronies, none of the great and the good will be bothered by this slackening of the rights that were so hard won. May appears to think the answer to 'lost intelligence' is to remove the rights of individuals. This sounds terrifying, and as I try to adjust to life as a old widow in an unfamiliar landscape, an England I don't recognise, I realise it has already happened within Barclays, Ovo, Scottish Power and now Fenland District Council.
Those who have read previous posts will know that when I telephoned Barclays to ask if my husband's email had been received they replied that they would only speak to a registered Independent Financial Advisor. Six months of investigation later Barclays claimed that the email I was enquiring about was just lost intelligence. Ovo and Scottish Power sent me a goodwill gesture after the letters I sent them were not actioned, (but only after the Guardian newspaper became involved) another case of lost intelligence.
Fenland District Council seem to have lost intelligence completely!
The architect I spoke to about plans to create a habitable dwelling from this horrible shell of a house I currently live in submitted his plans to Fenland District Council before showing them to me. I didn't like the plans, they weren't what I wanted. Can you believe that? I thought it was extremely rude of him, and it was obvious his only concern was getting my money.
I paid him what he asked and was glad to end that relationship.
The problem was that when I called at the Fenland Council offices wanting to explain the problem to a planning person I was sent away with a flea in my ear, and told to go online. Online communication is apparently the only method the Fenland DC planning officers tolerate, but even this advice was wrong.
Lucky for this 70 year old that she isn't too uncomfortable with technology, but it certainly illustrated the change since my days at Castlepoint DC when we were public servants. We were always reminded that we were employed by the public to serve them, and the public in all their many guises were our priority. In those days we worked for the local community.
Once home I obediently I went online and sent a message, including my email address and hoping for a reply. Nothing eventuated. I gave them a couple of weeks, then telephoned to ask about my lost intelligence. The first question the rather brusque operator asked me is, "Are you an agent?"
Memories of Barclays asking if I was an IFA flew into my brain, causing me pain.
I said that I was just an old lady wanting to speak to a planning person about a potentially lost email.
The Fenland DC operator then told me in no uncertain terms that I would not be getting any acknowledgement for my email, nor would I receive a reply to my questions. My time spent completing their online contact form was a complete waste of my life.
If my online contact form had been safely delivered it would be ignored, there would be no acknowledgement, and neither would a planning person speak to me on the telephone. They had no intention of communicating with me in any way at all, because I am not an agent.
I am just an individual, just a person who unfortunately bought a home in Fenland. Fenland, where the planning officers only deal with agents.
Fenland DC are presumably happy they have jobs and that my wasted fees contributed to their salaries and pensions. Presumably they are content sending letters to my neighbours inviting them to fritter away their time considering plans for changes that aren't wanted. The neighbours discussed this waste of time over the fence, big sighs and shrugs of despair at the state of what used to be called public service, before we decided that probably lost intelligence at Fenland DC might be a wider issue than first thought - and the rights of individuals? They're lost too.
Whatever next?
Whatever next?
No comments:
Post a Comment