Both

the start and the end of the day were pretty in Bedford as I travelled to and from work. I've chosen the evening shot for my main because I think it's a little more interesting. It's quite unusual for me to choose urban over rural when I have the choice of both.

Separately, I have completely lost patience with SODC, so if you fancy reading a rant, here it is, but you are excused and questions will not be asked after class ;-)

From - Princess Tivoli of Asgard
Norse Road, Bedford

To
South Oxfordshire District Council,
Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 3JE

cc – BBC You And Yours - [email="youandyours@bbc.co.uk"]youandyours@bbc.co.uk[/email]

11th October 2022
Council Tax Account number VALHALLA
Dear Sirs

On 6th June I notified you that I would be moving out of “The Narrow Boat”, Henley-on-Thames on 22nd June.
On 5th July you wrote to me at my new home in Bedford telling me that my council tax account was £95.33 in credit and if I would kindly fill out the form on the reverse of your letter with my bank account details and send it to your Council Tax Office curiously located at a PO box in Erith, Kent, you would reimburse me what I had overpaid you.
I was away on holiday between 2nd and 20th July, but immediately upon my return I did indeed send my bank details to your outpost in Erith, Kent.

At this point I feel I must mention that there really ought not to have been any need for this somewhat archaic formality, given that I had been paying my Council Tax by Direct Debit and that therefore you already had my bank account details and it would have been as easy as falling off a log to simply ask your bank to return my money to my account, but there we are.

Obviously our communications crossed in the post because on 20th July you sent me another letter identical to the one you had sent me on 5th July.

I waited patiently until 31st August, when I sent an email to [email="enquiries@southoxon.gov.uk"]enquiries@southoxon.gov.uk[/email] asking why nothing appeared to have happened in six weeks. You sent me an auto response to the effect that I could expect an email from you in ten working days, and then on 15th September I received another automated email to the effect that you hadn't read a word I'd written because you were too busy scurrying about dealing with all the unclaimed £150 energy rebates. Or so you'd have me believe.

Meanwhile, on 12th September I received a third identical letter in the post asking me to send my bank account details to Erith in Kent, which I did. Again.

I have today now received a fourth, almost identical letter requesting me to send my bank account details to Erith in Kent, but this time the sum you state you are prepared to refund me has dropped from the original £95.33 to a paltry £67.90. Why is that exactly? Is it because you are wasting vast sums of my money sending me letters by post?

Yours faithfully
Grrrrrrrrrrr etc