An in-between phase

EssexHebridean

Oh honestly PiP - it really is beyond ludicrous that they are still messing you about! Have you already contacted your MP? This whole fiasco has been going on for so long I’ve forgotten what steps you have already taken. It seems impossible that they should be able to get away with treating folk like this, though! 

ladyholly

I admire your patience and persistence with your your council. I would have been talking to the local government ombudsmen and writing to every councillor and my MP at regular intervals long ago but then I can be a bolshie c**.The whole affair is a fiasco. Do you have a local newspaper, social media group or similar that you can tell your tale to. Negative publicity sometimes helps to concentrate official minds.

I know all that is exhausting but perhaps mr PiP could help .

PennysIntoPounds

It doesn't even need to be a backhander or anything 'corrupt' @Sun_Addict, this is just the way our society works, people with power and/or money work together in normal life as they're the people who are able to do things, and it's beneficial to them in career or finance, to not let working class people get uppity and put a dent in any of their opportunities.

Yep we previously contacted the MP @EssexHebridean and the council outright lied to the MP and we never heard back from the MP again once we'd politely replied that the person from the council had 'not been correctly informed'

We have been advised by friend in property not to do anything that will p*ss them off if we can help it @ladyholly as we do actually need this to happen!
MP was contacted to no avail, ward councillor isn't able to do any more as they're also ignored by planning department, we would have to go through the council's complaints process before being able to contact ombudsman. That is the next step if nothing happens from contacting the chief exec...

PennysIntoPounds

Tidying
Admin
Comping

25 minute walk dropping off a vinted sale, and a bag to the charity shop
Found four McMo tokens and a pile of books, that's another £2.19 in the ziffit basket

A third wussy situps

Small flat clean

20 minute walk with Mr PIP dropping off fabrics recycling

We're resisting pub and getting a takeaway pizza as a Saturday night treat instead

South_coast

Hi PIP, slightly left-field suggestion, but I wonder whether it might be worth getting in touch with Grand Designs? I know they've featured builds in the past where the planners have held up projects for years (I know you've got planning, but it's essentially the same crowd - plus the fact you have actually got planning makes it even more ridiculous), and just maybe the thought that a documentary crew are going to besmirch their good name in public might shock them into action? I assume you get paid for being on the show as well 🤷‍♀️? 

Either that, or organise some kind of sit-in at their offices? I know you're reluctant to do anything which will cause them to be unhelpful, but....they're already being pretty darn unhelpful anyway?

PennysIntoPounds

Ha love the suggestion @South_coast but I would be mortified to be on telly! I will however add the threat to the 'if nothing comes off chief exec then complaints process' list. Sit-ins are already on that list but would get us so blacklisted 😁

PennysIntoPounds

Slept late, joints extra aching

Tidying
Admin
Comping

One hour walk with Mr PIP
Found 22 McMo tokens
And Boots had fancy limited edition Baylis & Harding soaps discounted from £2.50 to £1.73 so we stocked up on a few of those, and got mum one for her Christmas stocking
Celebrated with a couple of (camra discount) beers

Dinner is using up bits and bobs

Hope everyone is having a good Sunday x

Slowdown

Oh goodness! The whole council and building saga is more than just a pain in the a*se it’s actually extremely detrimental to your mental and physical health. I really feel for you. 😣
You are doing very well to even get out of bed each day let alone all the rest of the stuff you get up to. All that bending down to pick up Mc Mo tokens must be exhausting in itself 🤣
Might I suggest a long armed grabber? (Or is that Mr PiP?) 

Like you, I would absolutely hate to be on the telly. And I can just imagine the absolute car crash of a grand design my place would be. We still have unpainted doors and skirting boards in our house. And we moved here in 2005 🤣 

Have a good Monday everyone. Especially nice if you’re a duck. 🦆 

WelshmansDaughter

I always remember that episode of one of the property programs where the guy built the house he wanted by hiding it behind a massive stack of haybales. I am not sure what the London equivalent would be. Perhaps you could obtain some double decker buses as camouflage 😂😂😂

EssexHebridean

Loving the idea of disguising a house by putting it behind buses! Come to think of it, there was a Grand Design house where the people moved in a double decker bus to act as a workshop outside too, I think...on a triangular plot down i Sussex somewhere.