Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Access all areas

As was pointed out in a viral tweet recently, the Tories have mocked Labour for their election pledge to ensure free superfast broadband for all (with Boris Johnson leading the attack, branding it "a crazed communist scheme") - and yet it's the Tories who've insisted that (for instance) people have to apply for Universal Credit online.

My own recent experience illustrates the problem: it should have been £14 to renew my photo driving licence online, but, due to an unspecified "glitch in the system" (in other words, through no fault of my own), my options were to apply by post (£17) or in person at the post office (£21.50).

The DVLA would no doubt attempt to justify the price differential by referring vaguely to "administrative costs", but the fact is that those who don't have easy access to the internet shouldn't find themselves victims of discrimination. It's ludicrous that those with the least are routinely forced to pay the most.

Labour's promise is a lot less trivial than it might at first seem.

No comments: