Showing posts with label abuse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label abuse. Show all posts

28 September 2012

Beyond a joke - double helping

Friday jokes are something of a tradition for the bloggers. It sounds like Richard Cornelius might be the laughing stock today if rumours are to be believed that he has not taken any action against Brian Coleman other than tell him of his displeasure. That isn't showing leadership Richard. In fact Mr Mustard can report that he has obtained a fly-on-the-wall photograph of Richard Cornelius discussing sanctions with Brian for, amongst other episodes, saying he won't apologise for besmirching the good name of Ron Cohen.



Apart from that London Councils are beyond a joke. Here was a car on Saturday morning in Chipping Barnet (Toyotas spell trouble!)

Feel free to tell Mr Mustard who the driver is
and here is the badge that was in the window.

The theory of this badge
Note the absence of an address on the little pad, just the house number is sufficient, which is meant to tell the traffic warden where the medical emergency is which the medical bod has been called out to. Now Mr Mustard knows everybody in his road and he has not heard of any medical emergency having occurred on Saturday morning and this would be the third emergency in a road of 40 houses in 2012 alone. Mr Mustard wonders if the emergency was actually here just across the road? (run out of tea bags or milk).


The next time Mr Mustard sees a London Councils supposed medical emergency car in the street he is going to hand around with his camera, or video camera & tripod and photograph or film the driver if they are carrying shopping bags. You have been warned! The Spires has a reasonably priced car park; use it if you are on personal business.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

24 August 2012

Showing a green light to blue badge fraud

Buy your wallpaper here

Barnet Council want to raise money from the sale of blue badges. What do they do about blue badge fraud? Very little anything at all.

FOI question:

How many blue badges have been taken away by Barnet Council and how many people prosecuted in each of the last 5 years?

Answer:
 
I am writing to inform you that we have searched our records and some of the information you requested is not held by London Borough of Barnet. In respect of the removal of blue badges, the Council holds no information before November 2011. (why ever not? perhaps that answer is less embarrassing than the actual statistics which probably show no removals for misuse)

Blue badges can be confiscated by other Local Authorities but the decision to return the badge is up to the issuing authority. The London Borough of Barnet has 1 record of an instance where a badge has been confiscated and not returned to the applicant.

In respect of the number of prosecutions, the London Borough of Barnet has undertaken no prosecutions in connection with blue badge misuse in the last 5 years.
 
If no-one sees prosecutions occurring for blue badge abuse in Barnet the word will spread amongst cheats and more will try Barnet for a badge.
 
Nearby Enfield can do it and Harrow. There are 19,500 badges in issue in Barnet. A conservative 1% abuse level would mean 195 badges returned, 195 lots of parking income, 195 less applications to process every 3 years etc.
 
Yours frugally
 
Mr Mustard

14 December 2011

Abuse of position?

If a councillor asks for a light touch to be applied to parking regulations, is he abusing his position?

rollover picture & wait & it will ennlarge or click to enlarge, back to return


to be continued.

Yours frugally

Mr  Mustard