(This story is illustrative of the Planning services’ conduct when issuing a Certificate of Lawful Use)
Landed at Guernsey airport at noon, I caught a cab to town: four miles east. I had a contract to sign at 2 pm. Told the driver. He knew the route and had drawn the maps himself: he was a senior member of the local ‘Navigator’s Guild’, shall we say. I paid him upfront.
He drove southwest instead, visiting friends and relatives for hours. I reminded him.. late for my meeting.. why this way? He drove north along the coast, ‘seeking directions’. Hours passed. My anger grew. He left me at the meeting place at 6 pm, the end of his shift.
I complained to his Navigator’s Guild. They dismissed it. The driver got me there, eventually. They found no fault. The direct, four-mile route didn’t matter to them. 50 miles was ok and I was on time for his shift’s end. To them, six hours was reasonable.
I went to the Complaints Board. They couldn’t help because the Navigator’s Guild hadn’t told me about appeals. Under pressure, the Navigator’s Guild reviewed it again. Same result. Ignored the direct route.
Finally, the Board could hear my appeal. I pointed out the ignored shortest route. They ordered another review from the Navigator’s Guild. No change. The Board overlooked the ignored direct route. The driver was cleared, and the case was closed.
I lost £300,000+.
(Our driver was free to repeat the operation on the next victim, his fuel and legal expenses being paid for by the taxpayer.)
The allegorical story is based on my recent Administrative Review case. I hope it offers a relatable view of the frustrations encountered with an inefficient and probably dishonest system.
However, I am collating the documents relating to the real case and have published a few towards the end of the case here: