Author Topic: Incompetence: CCBC (and other Public Bodies and Statutory Undertakers...)  (Read 115755 times)

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Offline Hugo

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC (and other Public Bodies and Statutory Undertakers...)
« Reply #195 on: August 24, 2018, 06:48:24 pm »
I recently sent a request under the FOI Act for information about SORN notifications and this is the reply I received from the DVLA

1) How many SORN notices were received in 2014?
2) How many SORN notices were received in 2017?
The information DVLA holds is on the number of Statutory Off Road Notifications (SORN) processed.
In 2014 DVLA processed 2,522,102 SORN notifications.
In 2017 DVLA processed 3,774,887 SORN notifications

So since the abolition of the paper Road Tax Discs the number of SORN notifications has increased by 1,252,785 which represents an increase of very nearly fifty per cent.    It's only what people expected though and doesn't take into account those drivers who don't even bother doing Sorn  notifications and still drive on the road without paying their road tax.   I suppose that they are quite happy to take a chance on not being caught knowing full well that the DVLA  is incompetent in it's recovery job and that the Police are under pressure and under staffed

Offline Hugo

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC (and other Public Bodies and Statutory Undertakers...)
« Reply #196 on: September 19, 2018, 03:10:12 pm »
Ever since the Government decided to abolish the paper road tax disc it has been losing hundreds of millions of pounds in lost revenue each year.     In 2017 there were 3,774,887 SORN notifications processed and if only 5 per cent of them were fraudulent then the Government must have lost about £20 million and that's a conservative estimate and that is not including other road tax cheats.
It's a bit annoying to see someone strutting around in a high spec car knowing that they have notified the DVLA  that the car is off the road yet the vehicle is still being driven daily.
I suspect that the DVLA like a lot of other Government departments has suffered severe cutbacks and had Government interference as well but it still has a job to do.
I've recently had a reply to another FOI  request from the DVLA but the reply is just as you would expect from a politician and has glossed over the point I was asking about.   So it has gone back to the DVLA requesting a simple yes or no to the specific question I was asking so  we'll have to see what happens next





Offline Merddin Emrys

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC (and other Public Bodies and Statutory Undertakers...)
« Reply #197 on: September 20, 2018, 06:34:12 am »
I think most people expected a fall in revenue once they scrapped the tax disc, I've never understood the logic of doing that?
My cars are always taxed yet twice now I have received letters saying the car is not taxed, they sort it out when you phone them up, so they are trying to do something, unfortunately targeting the wrong people!
Also, the car tax system is unfair in a few ways, when a car changes ownership the seller has taxed the car until the end of the month, yet the buyer has to tax it from the start of the same month! So the government gets twice the amount of tax for that month! Seems they are using the law abiding car owners to compensate for those who do not pay!
I also find the high tax rates for large cars to be very unfair, this affects cars newer than March 2006, tax of over £500 per year is unfair to me, remember that we are heavily taxed on fuel so the more you use a car the more you are taxed, an automatic system, so no idea why they need such high ved.
A pigeon is for life not just Christmas

Offline Ian

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC (and other Public Bodies and Statutory Undertakers...)
« Reply #198 on: September 20, 2018, 09:28:07 am »
There is an argument that it penalises the less well-off so it plays well with the Tories.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Dave

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC (and other Public Bodies and Statutory Undertakers...)
« Reply #199 on: September 20, 2018, 10:59:33 pm »
There is an argument that it penalises the less well-off so it plays well with the Tories.

Isn't it the opposite? New cars with a value of over £40k pay an extra £310 per year for the first 5 years ( which presumably carries on when re-sold too) so it's not aimed at the less well off.
Otherwise it's down to emissions and an individual choice as to whether you want to do something to help clean up the environment I guess.


Offline Ian

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC (and other Public Bodies and Statutory Undertakers...)
« Reply #200 on: September 21, 2018, 08:33:32 am »
I've never thought it made a lot of sense.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC (and other Public Bodies and Statutory Undertakers...)
« Reply #201 on: September 21, 2018, 10:49:29 am »
Whatever the reasons for the amount of road tax to be paid, the fact is that that amount should be paid.   If it isn't paid the DVLA  has a responsibility to collect any unpaid duty.
The trouble is that they do not have a system in place that ensures that enforcement action will be taken against each and every defaulter to recover the unpaid road tax.
In short as a debt recovery agency they are a shambles

Online SteveH

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC (and other Public Bodies and Statutory Undertakers...)
« Reply #202 on: September 25, 2018, 10:18:43 am »
Apart from the usual over spending, which is becoming the norm, it is annoying to see that they have to get a company in, to tell them, how to get quotes.

A pile of pigeon droppings meant a council contract was undervalued by almost £1m.

Conwy council had put a contract out to tender for repairs to Conwy Bridge, and an initial contract had been agreed to cost £687,705.
But this shot up to £1,531,683.43 once the contractor was able to examine the bridge in greater detail.

The local authority had hired a consultancy to come up with a tendering process and, according to the chief executive of the council, the true extent of the work needed was not realised when it was completed.

This was because corrosion on the bridge was obscured by large amounts of bird muck.
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/how-pile-pigeon-poo-led-15195880


Offline Dave

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC (and other Public Bodies and Statutory Undertakers...)
« Reply #204 on: September 26, 2018, 09:42:06 pm »
It's not that CCBC have a lack of money, they just don't spend it wisely.
What I'd really like to know is where it all goes to!

Offline Hugo

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC (and other Public Bodies and Statutory Undertakers...)
« Reply #205 on: September 27, 2018, 06:21:34 pm »
The DVLA  requests people to report untaxed vehicles anonymously and says that each report will be followed up.

This is a section of a reply I have received under the FOI Act  and it would appear that they take no notice whatsoever of any reports from the public.
It's not just incompetence it's simply inane, they are losing hundreds of millions of pounds but doing little about it

"The Agency’s wheelclamping scheme does not deliver a call-out service on demand, as costs simply prohibit this type of approach to the problem. Currently, DVLA can only immobilise and/or impound an untaxed vehicle after a formal sighting of the vehicle on the public road has been obtained by a police officer, traffic warden or one of the Agency’s own enforcement officials. Please note that the Agency’s wheelclamping contractor, NSL, are provided with data relating to untaxed vehicles received from our website "https://www.gov.uk/report-untaxed-vehicle

I have just replied to their e-mail and have asked one specific question and will wait and see what the reply is.   The answer I'm looking for should be a simple yes or no but I think that they will fudge the reply and not give me the answer I'm looking for

Offline Meleri

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC (and other Public Bodies and Statutory Undertakers...)
« Reply #206 on: October 08, 2018, 04:23:29 pm »
At the CCBC Finance & Resources Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting on the 1st of this month, after a debate it was voted to cap the Council Tax increase at 11.6% only 2 members voted against. It will now go to The Cabinet meeting tomorrow for the final vote. Two rather interesting facts came to light during the debate such as the income for the year for Bodlondeb car park is £3,000 (baring in mind there is no charge during the week) the cost to run it is £20,000. No brainer really, either stop charging altogether and save £17,000 or charge all week and make a profit, I'm sure the Council employees can afford to pay for a yearly ticket as they are one of the the best paid in this area. The second fact was 40% of households in the county are claiming 25% single persons discount on Council tax, in band D that would be a £300 savings to them but a loss to the Council. Councillor Andrew Wood who pointed out both these facts stated it seems to be an awful lot of claimants and needs looking into and I agree wholeheartedly.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC (and other Public Bodies and Statutory Undertakers...)
« Reply #207 on: October 08, 2018, 10:20:23 pm »
Cllr Andrew Wood is right to point out those anomalies and he should be supported by all the other Councillors too.
The second fact that  40% of households in the county are claiming 25% single persons discount on Council tax is so obvious that it should have been investigated before.
Prosecuting the offenders though can be a lengthy process and costly too but there are ways around it if only they had the inclination to do something about it.
   

Offline Hugo

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC (and other Public Bodies and Statutory Undertakers...)
« Reply #208 on: October 10, 2018, 03:52:21 pm »
The second fact was 40% of households in the county are claiming 25% single persons discount on Council tax, in band D that would be a £300 savings to them but a loss to the Council. Councillor Andrew Wood who pointed out both these facts stated it seems to be an awful lot of claimants and needs looking into and I agree wholeheartedly.

Meleri,  just so that I've got this correct in my mind,  is the Cllr saying that 40%  of domestic ratepayers in Conwy County are claiming 25% single persons discount on Council tax?
If that is correct then it must be fraud on a very large scale.    I was talking to my neighbour about it and we only know one person in the street who would be eligible for that discount and that's only because that person was recently widowed.
Cllr Wood may be on to something there

Offline Meleri

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC (and other Public Bodies and Statutory Undertakers...)
« Reply #209 on: October 10, 2018, 04:58:50 pm »
Yes Hugo that's what he said at the meeting, bit of a shocker isn't it  >:( The Provisional Settlement for Conwy County just announced has been awarded 1 million less than last time, so this could be an area to perhaps recoup some money to plug the gap, if people are claiming fraudulently. The Cabinet yesterday recommended a cap of 11.6% on Council Tax but that's not to say it will be that high, if they can find savings elsewhere. One of the Councillors stated she thought Central Government was setting Conwy County up to fail. Most of North Wales Counties came out with the worse settlements in Wales, but no surprises there.