So, what exactly are we paying council tax for? (From Oxford Mail)

So, what exactly are we paying council tax for?

10:00am Tuesday 29th May 2012 in Letters

WHAT has happened to accessible local Government that we all pay council tax for?

When I tried to phone through to Environmental Health on behalf of an elderly person who told me he could not get through to anybody, I only succeeded in wasting time, patience and money.

I rang the main city council line, which is the only number on the website.

Environmental Heath was not listed by the automaton giving options to press buttons.

So I held the line as instructed by the robotic voice.

After 15 minutes at my expense, nobody answered.

I did this twice at different times of day with no result.

Then I rang a colleague in a housing association to ask what number they would ring.

I was told to “press any button and when you get through ask for Environmental Health, they will transfer you”.

So I selected Housing and then Buildings Issues as being closest to what I needed.

Nobody answered after 12 minutes, so I gave up.

I am sure this system saves the Labour-run city council money, but it also means an urgent situation goes unreported and nothing can be done about it. I emailed my city councillor but, as yet, have had no response.

SUSHILA DHALL, Rewley Park, Oxford

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