DVLA local offices to close

[M'coli]

Just heard this mentioned on the 1 o'clock news on R4, apparently closure of the 39 local offices and replacing their services with a centralised service from Swansea will improve the service to the public.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16158015

Apparently it will "save" around £28 million a year - presumably this takes into account the cost of dole money, the extra fuel that will be needed to go to Swansea to sort shit out etc..

[ashmicro]

Typical govt/civil service short-termism. Why not get rid of some of the 1 million public service "non-jobs" created by Zanu-Liarbour instead of people we actually need? Our local authority had a Diversity Awareness Officer - most of the burghers here are related FFS!

[trigger]

Great, Both Ipswich and Chelmsford are closing, that my local ones gone then, Twats.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Don't you love how the new centralised service offers "choice and flexibility" but doesn't tell us WHAT it is that we can choose from flexibly?

[tonedepear]

I heard that on R5 on my lunch break. Surely the fact these places are consistently rammed beyond belief is proof enough that they provide a valuable service? "Hello, I want to swap my plates over and have a new tax disc with the right reg on today before I go overseas for a few months please. Hello? Hello? What do you mean you're just a contractor? Demolishing what? What!?"

 

At least we all have good news stories to tell about Swansea don't we, so it shouldn't be too bad. Ferfuchsake.

 

Great, Both Ipswich and Chelmsford are closing, that my local ones gone then, Twats.

 

ALL the regional offices are closing, as I understand it Trig.

[Cavcraft]

Fucking great. Now when you have to change a V5 from disabled to plg or piss about with plate transfers and new keeper sections of log book it'll just slow the whole twatting process up. Just hope they're ready for a new wealth of unregistered vehicles to hit the road.

[Negative Creep]

If they're losing cash why not just chuck another batch of V5 and SORN notices in the bin then fine people for not sending them?

[RobT]

Fucking great. Now when you have to change a V5 from disabled...

 

Exactly. Having a local office in Bournemouth last year when I bought the Montego made it easy, otherwise it would have involved a long wait dealing with Swansea.

 

Penning’s quote is a typical government ‘delete where applicable’ set of text.

 

One ray of hope is these are only proposals at the moment.

[tonedepear]

AS letter writing campaign?

 

http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/~/media/pdf/consultations/Consultation_December_2011.ashx

 

How to respond

If you are affected by the changes proposed in this consultation, please consider the questions above. As part of your response we would be interested in receiving any views on the matters included within this document. Responses should be made by Tuesday 6 March 2012.

When responding, it would be helpful if groups could indicate the people and organisations they represent.

You can respond in the following ways:

Post to Corporate Affairs Directorate, D16, DVLA, Swansea, SA6 7JL where we'll throw it away and then fine you later

Email to [email protected]

[RobT]

^^^I'll be submitting my response, and will ask for an answer about the disabled tax thing. Taking bets on whether I get a reply.

[Vin]

When I worked in the centre of Leeds I had to change the taxation of one of the Pandas I bought; disabled to PLG. I went to the office in town and It was rammed. I was waiting ages.

 

The DVLA recently moved out of the centre of Leeds near to the office I work in at Colton. The number of people wandering into our office asking if "we were the DVLA and if not, where is it?" was ridiculous. The receptionist got so pissed off that there is a sign on the office door telling people that we aren't the DVLA and were to go (there is a little map to help as well....).

 

There is obviously a big demand for the local offices.

 

Would closure of the local offices also mean, that if they had to inspect a car that you had imported and wanted to register, you'd have to take it down to swansea rather than your local office...

[tonedepear]

Would closure of the local offices also mean, that if they had to inspect a car that you had imported and wanted to register, you'd have to take it down to swansea rather than your local office...

 

There is mention of intermediary places available for face-to-face shennanigans. Post office, maybe? I don't know. I can't imagine old Betty the Sub post mistress wanting to get oily inspecing mechanical stuff.

 

3.3 The DVLA recognises that there is still potential for growth in existing electronic services. There are those who, for a number of reasons, cannot access these channels or who choose not to. We are looking to remove obstacles to transacting online wherever possible. We also want to tackle issues around access to electronic services to increase inclusivity. This means making them available:

As self-service facilities – where the customer can carry out driver and vehicle transactions electronically using their home internet or telephone.

Through one or more intermediaries potentially available through a range of outlets – these will allow customers to transact with the DVLA through a front office counter service provider who will make facilities available and help the customer use the DVLA’s electronic services.

[scaryoldcortina]

I'd bet a pound that "intermediary services" for inspections, reg transfers and suchlike will be provided by VOSA, at their test stations.

[Felly Magic]

This is going to be the biggest fuck up known to man. What next? DVLA put out to tender? One way to save millions a year. How about cutting the numbers MP's down? And the remaining ones on NMW?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Who cares about MP salaries? How about eliminating or at least drastically reducing the MoD budget? Last time I checked, Belgium wasn't planning an invasion...

[Dirty Habit]

Just shut Swansea....... and leave the local offices. Swansea is and always will be a JOKE!

My local office at Garretts Green is always packed, but it is a new purpose built unit with it's own car park......Why close something that it used so much?

[dieselnutjob]

went to Borehamwood DVLA last week to ask about reducing the number of seats on the V5c from 10 to 9.

simple change

 

they told me that only Swansea could do that (i.e. p... off)

 

so what exactly can they do?

[eddyramrod]

I used to work across the road from the new Preston branch. Only ever saw the car park quiet when I arrived for work at 4.30am. All the rest of the day it was buzzing. Obviously they failed to save enough by closing Liverpool back in the 90s and letting Manchester and Preston pick up all the slack.

[Justin Case]

How about eliminating or at least drastically reducing the MoD budget? Last time I checked, Belgium wasn't planning an invasion...

 

However we can never be entirely sure so the defence budget is a small price to pay.

 

I have always found the Birmingham DVLA office very helpful and efficient when I have dealt with them (mainly for registration transfers) and humans can always sort things out better than computers eg my first name was given in two different forms on two different documents but they sorted it out in moments. It would be a scandal if these offices were to close and the expertise lost and we were actually denied choice rather than what lying politicians claim.

 

If they want to save money and do us all a favour then they could get rid of the civil servants who take money from productive industries that contribute something to the economy and throw it away on subsidising ugly inefficient wind turbines. We might even end up with a more viable castings industry as a bonus

[Father Ted]

I used to work across the road from the new Preston branch.

Really? So did I for a while at LCT.

Agree with what you said though - car park always heaving

[eddyramrod]

I drove for Dobson's produce!

[Father Ted]

I drove for Dobson's produce!

Ahh, I remember the fruit wagons across the road - was on Fulwood Park for a while, then got re-based at Septic Point near the Motorway at Walton Le Dale, then left LCT and went working for a PCT instead, and then got took over again by LCT last year when the PCT's were all disbanded.

[Felly Magic]

swmbo is having no end of aggro from the cretins at the kremlin (Swansea). It is the source of all the feck ups by the DVLA, so 'lancing the boil' may be better.

[Cavcraft]

I used to work across the road from the new Preston branch. Only ever saw the car park quiet when I arrived for work at 4.30am. All the rest of the day it was buzzing. Obviously they failed to save enough by closing Liverpool back in the 90s and letting Manchester and Preston pick up all the slack.

 

Ahem, we Cestrians also get the slack too you know?

[eddyramrod]

So you do, I forgot you had a branch. Humblest apogolies.

[Cavcraft]

Not for long by the sounds of it Eddy! They could be right officious bastards at times but it is bloody handy having the office there.

[CreepingJesus]

There's no point cutting the military budget - it's tuppence ha'penny as it is. Better to actually claim the tax back off Goldman Sachs, Vodafone et al., that they've been let away with. That's a fuck sight more than £28mil for a start...

 

I must say, the Edinburgh local office takes me 15-20mins to get to, on a couple of quid's worth of petrol, and they've sorted the issues presented, taken payments and had me on my way quickly, leaving me confident that all was well.

I phoned Swansea from my mobile once, it took about an hour, cost me £14 and created some more grey hairs. And I still don't have the Volvo's V5. After 5 months. Despite Auld Reekie's office chinning them about it.

The proposal is genuinely scary; the ramifications (given Swansea's heavy-handed approach to throwing fines and court dates about) don't bear thinking about. And with the 1600 staff gone from the LO's, that's about a 3rd less DVLA staff overall to deal with the workload. Also, given that VOSA-run test centres are backlogged, and on a shoogly peg as it is, who's going to take up the slack on inspections, if they're disposed of?

The whole idea's wrong; and for the sake of a paltry amount of money. I will be writing to my MP. No hang on, that was Big Gordy Broon last time I checked. Fuck asking that cock-eyed balloon for anything - you think he was a useless PM, that's nothing on how useless an MP he is! Everyone else who represents here and the Gyle area of Edinburgh's getting an angry letter.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

There's no point cutting the military budget - it's tuppence ha'penny as it is. Better to actually claim the tax back off Goldman Sachs, Vodafone et al., that they've been let away with. That's a fuck sight more than £28mil for a start...

 

 

According to this, it's considerably more than 2.5p. In fact, it's more like 3670000000000p, bigger than the education budget and over 3 times the transport budget. And the DVLA closures are trying to save less than a thousandth of that!

 

[Off-topic, but that site is very interesting. Doesn't anyone else think that SIX FUCKING BILLION is a bit much for running the system of the Law Courts, especially considering that you have to pay for most civil claims?]

[CreepingJesus]

Personally, I don't think you can skimp on having an effective military, or education, healthcare, or justice system. But maybe that's just me: I don't want to get into a great debate about it. And I was exaggerating for effect.

I did read '£28 million saving' didn't I? There's no sound logic to any part of it, and now I really want to kick a senior government minister square in the balls with my manky rigger boots on. Any one, don't care. Male or female. And I'll take my punishment.

[Futuramic]

There's no point cutting the military budget - it's tuppence ha'penny as it is. Better to actually claim the tax back off Goldman Sachs, Vodafone et al., that they've been let away with. That's a fuck sight more than £28mil for a start...

 

 

According to this, it's considerably more than 2.5p. In fact, it's more like 3670000000000p, bigger than the education budget and over 3 times the transport budget. And the DVLA closures are trying to save less than a thousandth of that!

 

[Off-topic, but that site is very interesting. Doesn't anyone else think that SIX FUCKING BILLION is a bit much for running the system of the Law Courts, especially considering that you have to pay for most civil claims?]

 

 

Law Courts, by which you mean those that hear criminal cases I presume, are the most bloated, sickly, cancerous money wasting machines to blight the face of our fair nation. Everyone, everywhere has the god given right to have some trumped up criminal charge pushed through the police and, eventually, court system. Have you heard the news report about making "mental abuse" a crime? Much as degradation of women is abominable; this proposal is legal insanity. The mouth breathers and shit eating lampreys from the bottom of the social fish tank can potentially have their pathetic disputes "he called me a slag" recorded as crimes and processed as domestic violence incidents by the police. With positive action mantras, such as one finds in Essex, arrests will be made! For what? The courts exist mainly as a forum for law school graduates to let rip with their nice accents about nothing that matters to anyone outside. They will be made even worse by such nonsense. It clearly is the right wing trying to display a contrived and shop bought soft side to create an illusion of caring.

 

Anyway.... It's a shame about the DVLA offices. Unemployment is up again and the government see fit to cut a large number of jobs. Jobs that are required, self evidently, by the immense usage of the local offices. I've had to wait for ages in Ipswich and Chelmsford is also busy.