Arcadia Jottings

[kalos]

6 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Good luck!  DVLA are in their usual state of chaos and taking months to handle anything that can’t be done online. Letters to their CEO aren’t being dealt with properly, and she’s not even bothering to reply to MPs when they take cases up.

 

The Sunday Times did a report a couple of weeks back. They have, allegedly, hundreds of staff working from home - but with no access to crucial IT systems!

 

To anyone having a Driving Licence replaced with more than one mode of transport on it ,

get a good clear copy of it before sending it off . I remember the brother in law when he sent

his off .When it came back he missing his bike licence .He got onto them and they said 

"nope your just a car driver , if not send us proof "  He had held bike and car licence for over

25 years . He ended up doing the bike test again at his own expense . Just a heads up 

[Snow Hill]

19 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Good luck!  DVLA are in their usual state of chaos and taking months to handle anything that can’t be done online. Letters to their CEO aren’t being dealt with properly, and she’s not even bothering to reply to MPs when they take cases up.

 

The Sunday Times did a report a couple of weeks back. They have, allegedly, hundreds of staff working from home - but with no access to crucial IT systems!

It’s an online application, just for car driver so fairly straightforward I would have thought, as I don’t drive anything else. 

[Harry Peterson]

6 minutes ago, Snow Hill said:

It’s an online application, just for car driver so fairly straightforward I would have thought, as I don’t drive anything else. 

Online should be OK, I believe. The problem is with paper applications, which are sitting unactioned in tens of thousands.

 

Their system didn’t allow an online renewal, and I’ve been waiting for months. Getting the MP involved hasn’t made any difference. He wrote to the CEO, of course, but that was weeks ago and he’s still waiting for a full reply. Highly unusual for a public sector agency to fail to deal promptly with MPs, but that’s not uncommon with DVLA at present. I suspect the CEO’s days may be limited.

[Dermotsgirl]

2 hours ago, Snow Hill said:

Submitted my online application to renew my Driving Licence today as I reach 70 in a few months, saying goodbye to old paper licence which I need to cut in half and send back to them, new licence should arrive within 2 weeks. 
 

 

My husband did that last year, he got his new licence surprisingly quickly 

[purplesea]

4 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

My husband did that last year, he got his new licence surprisingly quickly 

Quick is not a word that I associate with the DVLA. I needed to reapply for my licence (medical). I filled out the various forms and sent them off (there were some that were not available on line, so that ruled that option out). Anyway, to cut a long story short it took 11 months. It was getting to the point that if it didn't arrive soon I would no longer be able to drive legally!!

[wowzz]

4 hours ago, Snow Hill said:

Submitted my online application to renew my Driving Licence today as I reach 70 in a few months, saying goodbye to old paper licence which I need to cut in half and send back to them, new licence should arrive within 2 weeks. 
 

 

How did you manage to hang on to a paper licence so long ?

I must have changed mine about 30 years ago !

[purplesea]

Just now, wowzz said:

How did you manage to hang on to a paper licence so long ?

I must have changed mine about 30 years ago !

I only surrendered my licence as I had to give up driving due to a brain tumour or I would still have had mine too!

[wowzz]

4 minutes ago, purplesea said:

I only surrendered my licence as I had to give up driving due to a brain tumour or I would still have had mine too!

I think because we moved house so often, my driving licence would have been switched to the new format during one of our moves.

Just checked,  and paper licences stopped in 1998, so I'm not too far out with my 30 year guess.

Edited April 16, 2022 by wowzz

[terrierjohn]

2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I think because we moved house so often, my driving licence would have been switched to the new format during one of our moves.

Mine was stolen when in my wife's beach handbag in Spain 17yrs ago along with wallet and hire car key.  So when I applied for a replacement it was a plastic one, BUT minus the time expired driving offences, which was the only benefit from the theft.😇

[Snow Hill]

9 hours ago, wowzz said:

How did you manage to hang on to a paper licence so long ?

I must have changed mine about 30 years ago !

Have been in same house for 30 years, so never needed to change it. Plus wasn’t going to give the Government £20 to exchange for a photo card one.

[Snow Hill]

13 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

Online should be OK, I believe. The problem is with paper applications, which are sitting unactioned in tens of thousands.

 

Their system didn’t allow an online renewal, and I’ve been waiting for months. Getting the MP involved hasn’t made any difference. He wrote to the CEO, of course, but that was weeks ago and he’s still waiting for a full reply. Highly unusual for a public sector agency to fail to deal promptly with MPs, but that’s not uncommon with DVLA at present. I suspect the CEO’s days may be limited.

Two friends got their replacement licences within 2 weeks, it’s only paper applications that are experiencing a backlog. 
 

Centralising everything at the DVLA in Swansea was a poor decision by the government in 2013, it has resulted in 9 years of chaos, exacerbated by Covid. 
 

Not sure how I managed to post this thread in Arcadia Jottings, I thought I was on the “What’s it like….” Thread. 🤔

Edited April 17, 2022 by Snow Hill

[kalos]

18 minutes ago, Snow Hill said:

Have been in same house for 30 years, so never needed to change it. Plus wasn’t going to give the Government £20 to exchange for a photo card one.

 

Still got mine as well ,had to swap from my old red one in 1974 to the green paper one.

[Selbourne]

4 minutes ago, Snow Hill said:

Two friends got their replacement licences within 2 weeks, it’s only paper applications that are experiencing a backlog. 
 

Centralising everything at the DVLA in Swansea was a poor decision by the government in 2013, it has resulted in 9 years of chaos, exacerbated by Covid. 

I must be fortunate as I’ve had no issues with anything from DVLA over that time and, thinking about it, there have been quite a few contacts with licences, vehicle changes, number plate changes etc.

 

Personally, I blame the whole “Shirking from Home” ethic that was obviously needed during the peak of Covid but has permeated businesses and organisations on what seems now to be a permanent basis. I can understand employees not wanting to have a commute, but it is going to blight productivity and customer service on a permanent basis, not to mention the adverse effects on people development and mental health (people need stimulus from workmates). It will also be the death knell of what remains of our high streets (as they rely on the lunchtime trade from office workers which is their peak trading periods) and the decline in public transport services such as trains, as demand has not recovered to pre pandemic levels, so service frequency will eventually be cut. Sadly, no one is looking at the bigger picture of some of the adverse legacies of Covid.

[terrierjohn]

10 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I must be fortunate as I’ve had no issues with anything from DVLA over that time and, thinking about it, there have been quite a few contacts with licences, vehicle changes, number plate changes etc.

 

Personally, I blame the whole “Shirking from Home” ethic that was obviously needed during the peak of Covid but has permeated businesses and organisations on what seems now to be a permanent basis. I can understand employees not wanting to have a commute, but it is going to blight productivity and customer service on a permanent basis, not to mention the adverse effects on people development and mental health (people need stimulus from workmates). It will also be the death knell of what remains of our high streets (as they rely on the lunchtime trade from office workers which is their peak trading periods) and the decline in public transport services such as trains, as demand has not recovered to pre pandemic levels, so service frequency will eventually be cut. Sadly, no one is looking at the bigger picture of some of the adverse legacies of Covid.

Strangely Selbourne all the feedback I get from relatives who do work from home is that productivity is far higher than it used to be.

I agree there are many other problems that result from WFH which you highlight, but change now seems inevitable.

[Fionboard]

This thread has gone way off topic!

[Selbourne]

3 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Strangely Selbourne all the feedback I get from relatives who do work from home is that productivity is far higher than it used to be.

I agree there are many other problems that result from WFH which you highlight, but change now seems inevitable.

I’m not surprised John and I get the same feedback, but what individuals like isn’t always what’s best for them in the long run and employees aren’t always the best people to assess their own productivity! As I said, nobody is looking at the bigger picture here and the negative impacts of WFH have yet to fully materialise, but will start to unravel over the coming years with devastating effects. 

[terrierjohn]

1 minute ago, Selbourne said:

I’m not surprised John and I get the same feedback, but what individuals like isn’t always what’s best for them in the long run and employees aren’t always the best people to assess their own productivity! As I said, nobody is looking at the bigger picture here and the negative impacts of WFH have yet to fully materialise, but will start to unravel over the coming years with devastating effects. 

The improved productivity in all cases is from head office data, not from the individual worker.

As for town centres they will now need to reinvent themselves to become an attractive venue for locals and tourists, because they can no longer rely on retail businesses, as on line and out of town shopping takes over.

[Snow Hill]

14 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

This thread has gone way off topic!

My fault, I misposted to wrong thread.🤦‍♂️

[Son of Anarchy]

I got a plastic photo card licence after I mislaid my paper one.  I find the photo card licence quite handy, especially when using a debit card to buy foreign currency, haven't done that for a couple of years though 🤔.

 

A couple of years ago I found my old paper licence.  Funnily enough, it was where I left it all those years ago.

[Harry Peterson]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

Personally, I blame the whole “Shirking from Home” ethic that was obviously needed during the peak of Covid but has permeated businesses and organisations on what seems now to be a permanent basis. I can understand employees not wanting to have a commute, but it is going to blight productivity and customer service on a permanent basis, not to mention the adverse effects on people development and mental health (people need stimulus from workmates). It will also be the death knell of what remains of our high streets (as they rely on the lunchtime trade from office workers which is their peak trading periods) and the decline in public transport services such as trains, as demand has not recovered to pre pandemic levels, so service frequency will eventually be cut. Sadly, no one is looking at the bigger picture of some of the adverse legacies of Covid.

Probably true in the case of DVLA, where staff are allowed to work from home even though they don’t have the necessary IT support to do it, but in many cases working from home is entirely feasible, works very well indeed, and saves both employer and employee a lot of time and money.

 

As for the High Streets, the trade lost in major High Streets is more than compensated for by the additional trade in peripheral towns and other locations. It’s provided quite a boost for some places.

 

Commuter transport services are expensive to run because of the over concentration of services at peak times, so a reduction in peak services to allow for reduced demand may actually prove to be a financial bonus.

 

Where it can be achieved without loss of efficiency, which it can in many cases, it’s beneficial all round. Just needs thinking through properly, and Covid has provided exactly the impetus required.

[Monorail Orange]

I see Arcadia has left Southampton this morning - I'm guessing on her way to Weymouth (unless that's changed).

Any hint that they'll start working on the "to do" list whilst she's on hiatus?

[jeanlyon]

7 minutes ago, Monorail Orange said:

I see Arcadia has left Southampton this morning - I'm guessing on her way to Weymouth (unless that's changed).

Any hint that they'll start working on the "to do" list whilst she's on hiatus?

Strangely she's in the middle of the English Channel south of Plymouth with no destination other than Southampton.  So maybe she is going back there.

 

Edited April 17, 2022 by jeanlyon

[jeanlyon]

Yes due back in to Southampton at 0430 tomorrow morning.  Strange.

[paulatsea]

17 minutes ago, Monorail Orange said:

I see Arcadia has left Southampton this morning - I'm guessing on her way to Weymouth (unless that's changed).

Any hint that they'll start working on the "to do" list whilst she's on hiatus?

I think it’s going back to Southampton again - that’s what Marine traffic says 

[Angel57]

11 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

Strangely she's in the middle of the English Channel south of Plymouth with no destination other than Southampton.  So maybe she is going back there.

 

A little Easter Day trip for her……