Spinal cord injury means your bladder and bowels don't work properly. You therefore generate a lot of extra rubbish. Unfortunately for me and for the rubbish collectors, the council doesn't consider this clinical waste so you can't easily get an additional bin.
After some discussion, I've been granted orange waste bags, of which I am allowed to use three a fortnight. At the same time, I have been offered "assisted waste collection". I have to apply for this, completing a simple form. However, this form includes a demand that I respond within ten working days of the date of the letter, "otherwise the Council will assume you no longer need the service". I'm angered by this and send the following response:
"I am surprised by your demand that you receive a response within ten working days from the date of the letter. I note that the letter was dated 26th March and yet not sent until 27th March. Given the uncertainty of Royal Mail delivery times, there was no guarantee I would receive it the next day. Even assuming I did, I then this leaves me only eight working days to reply. If I was having difficulties, I imagine I could contact you to say that this timescale would be hard to meet. However, given that a request for Assisted Waste Collection is likely to come from the more vulnerable members of the community, I find the tone of your letter unnecessarily harsh. Yes, of course you need to encourage people to respond within timescales. But could you not offer a longer timescale or suggest they contact you if they are unable to meet the deadline?
"Given your timescale demands, I think it reasonable to assume that the Council will adhere to the same. I therefore expect that I will receive confirmation that my application has been considered and that I will receive assistance with my waste collection within ten working days. If I do not, I assume that you are happy for me to make a formal complaint."
I get a phone call just inside the ten working day limit. Profuse apologies and "we've changed the letter to reflect your concerns". Good, they should. Hopefully there will now be a few less anxious people wishing for assisted waste collection.
