Liberal Democrat County Councillors across Hertfordshire the have been battling to make sure local people get the bus passes they are entitled to. Local residents across county, including many in Tring, have faced long delays for bus pass renewals, with some facing lengthy waits and having to resubmit documents.
County Councillor Nick Hollinghurst said, “Residents in Dacorum and Watford were asked to renew their bus passes early and most Tring residents seem to have their new passes by now. But earlier in the year I received a number of phone calls from distressed elderly people frustrated by delays of up to two months and anxious their their renewed passes would not arrive in time.
The council has outsourced the renewal procedure and documents arrive at County Hall only to be slowly laboriously scanned in and despatched to another site for action. The process is cumbersome and has resulted in documents being lost and bus pass holders having to re-apply and start from the beginning all over again.”
Nick’s colleague, County Councillor Kareen Hastrick (Meriden Tudor) said, “I have had to intervene where local residents have had to wait so long their old passes have run out. Fortunately bus companies have granted people a grace period, despite their passes having expired.
“I have raised this problem in County Hall repeatedly and asked why so many people are having to wait so long and not had a proper response.”
“I have raised this with County Council staff several times and have not had a satisfactory explanation. All the more strange given how many of my fellow County Councillors have been helping local residents across the County with the same issue!”
Another Liberal Democrat, County Councillor Malcolm Cowan (Handside and Peartree), commented “I recently sent off my renewals for my passport and my bus pass, both on the same day.
“I was amazed when my passport returned first. Are Herts County Council carrying out greater security checks on people who just want to get on a bus, than the government do for people flying? I cannot think of why else it would quicker to renew a passport than a bus pass. This is sheer madness and shows that the system is failing.”
