Taxing problems.

 Grit my teeth, grit my teeth, grit my teeth.  My lodger regularly moans to me about local and Government services and things being online.  I just take my frustration out in this blog.  

I have elected to receive emails from HMRC which is good, but no good if you cannot reply to their emails and they do not include an address you can reply to or phone number you can reply to.  Apparently my tax code has changed, but to access this information online I need two additional bits of information one my passport - nice and easy - two the other one information about when I last sent them something.  Well heaven knows the answer to that, so I do not have the required information to pass security but no way of getting back to HMRC to check what they have told me.  Perhaps scammers make it easier to be contacted whereas august official bodies like HMRC are so guarded you cannot access your own information.  Cannot be bothered right now to search through papers for an incorrect address to work out what is going on. 

Pushing the bus out.....

Adrian Ramsay, Co-leader of the Green Party delighted locals and party activist by visiting Hoddesdon on his East Herts Big  Action Day.  Whilst there he had the chance, along with local Candidates - Sally Kemp, Bob Gledhill, Owen Brett and Roy Clements - to find out about the quality of local bus services.    Responses ranged from "appalling" to "good".  A third of those questioned used buses as their primary source of local travel (cars and trains were the other most equally popular forms of transport) and a number felt service had got worse recently but that night buses had long been bad.    Other concerns raised were the frequency of buses, cleanliness, connectivity and price.       Interestingly only about half of those questioned had actually formally complained about the services, but one person said they did so regularly and found the responses inappropriate and unhelpful. 

Broxbourne Green Party has called for improved services on existing estates,  as the services are none existent in some places,  and they have stressed the importance of them when new estates are being given the go ahead.  Nationally the Green Party is calling for a "£1 fare to take you there". In our survey cheaper prices would definitely get more people out of their cars and onto buses - provided they run on time - helping to reduce congestion on the roads and pollution in the area and helping us to reach net zero.   BGP will be submitting the results of the survey to HCC and welcome any further feedback on bus services in the Broxbourne areas. 

Our Party leader is coming to town. Come and join us.

 

Adrian Ramsay, Green Party Co-leader, will be visiting Hoddesdon on 21st March 2023. He will be located at the Clock Tower, Hoddesdon from 6-7:00pm. He will be out and about with local members, supporters and activists.

Members of the public are encouraged to come and meet Adrian and ask him any questions you would like to raise.

Back to politics - personal and local.

Anyone would think it was very cold in Wales on my return from Croatia.  

 I dashed up there but was back in time for the Green Party meeting. Then the snow returned to London and I was so shattered I could not organise myself at all.   I just about felt human by Saturday only to have quite an unpleasant experience with another former friend - this is a bad habit - but in the end felt I just had to cut myself off from things. Felt very fragile for days.  Now coming back into being with a litter pick and time at the community garden where I was asked to display my still unfinished pictures.