Archive for category: News

From 8 June 2015, the paper counterpart to the photocard driving licence will not be valid and will no longer be issued by DVLA. The counterpart was introduced to display driving licence details that could not be included on the photocard. These details include some vehicle categories you are entitled to drive and any endorsement/penalty points.

Please note, this does not affect photocard licences issued by DVA in Northern Ireland.

What this means for you

Customers with existing paper counterpart

If you already hold a paper counterpart, after 8 June 2015 it will no longer have any legal status. You should destroy your paper counterpart after this date but you still need to keep your current photocard driving licence.

Customers with paper driving licences

Paper driving licences issued before the photocard was introduced in 1998 will remain valid and should not be destroyed.

If you need to update your name, address or renew your licence, you will be issued with a photocard only.

Penalty points (endorsements)

From 8 June 2015 new penalty points (endorsements) will only be recorded electronically, and will not be printed or written on either photocard licences or paper driving licences. From this date, if you commit an offence you will still have to pay any applicable fine and submit your licence to the court but the way the court deals with the paperwork will change.

For photocard licences, the court will retain the paper counterpart and only return the photocard to you.

For paper licences, the court will return it to you but they won’t have written or printed the offence details on it.

This means that from 8 June 2015 neither the photocard driving licence nor the paper licence will provide an accurate account of any driving endorsements you may have. Instead, this information will be held on DVLA’s driver record, and can be checked online, by phone or post.

How to check your driving licence details

Our free View Driving Licence service lets you see what details are on your licence, including what vehicles you can drive and any penalty points you may have.

Confirming your driving record to an employer or when hiring a vehicle

After 8 June 2015 if you are hiring a vehicle or you drive for a living and you are asked to provide evidence of your driving record (entitlements and/or penalty points), you will be able to do this online for free by accessing our Share Driving Licence service. This service is currently in development but will be available before the counterpart is abolished. The service should be used by both paper and photocard driving licence holders and will also allow you to download a summary of your licence record which can be printed or shared.

Alternatively you can call DVLA and give permission for your driving record to be checked verbally by a nominated person/organisation.

Why is the counterpart being abolished?

The decision to abolish the counterpart was as a result of the government’s Red Tape Challenge consultation on road transportation. It also aligns to DVLA’s Strategic Plan which includes commitment to simplifying our services.

The April edition of the surface water management plan is now available WSCC Surface Water Management Plans Newsletter April 2015

PRESS RELEASE FROM CHICHESTER DISTICT COUNCIL

Residents in Chichester District are being warned to be vigilant following a number of complaints about bogus calls claiming residents’ properties are in the wrong council tax band.

The scammers call and offer to challenge the banding on a resident’s behalf, often for a fee. The scammers’ methods include:

·       charging an up-front fee then not making the challenge at all;

·       asking for a person’s bank details so they can provide a refund but instead they take money from the account;

·       offering a resident an agent, telling them they must have one by law in order to challenge the banding, when this is not the case at all.

Following calls in Selsey, the Witterings and the Bournes, Chichester District Council is urging people not to give any bank details over the phone and to end any suspicious telephone call immediately. Any suspicious phone calls, text messages or emails should be reported as soon as possible to:

·       Chichester District Council’s Council Tax team on 01243 534501 or email 

·       Sussex Police on 101

·       West Sussex County Council Trading Standards on 03454 04 05 06

Any genuine direct phone number given by Chichester District Council would be in the format of 01243 534***.

In some cases scammers may carry out cold calls at people’s homes. If they receive a cold call residents are urged to seek identification from the person at the door, ring a cold caller’s office to confirm their identity and dial 999 if a cold caller refuses to leave. 

Councillor Tony Dignum, Cabinet Member for Finance and Governance, says: “We are urging residents to be extremely careful and not give out any details over the phone. If you are concerned about the banding of your property, you can do this for free by contacting your local Valuation Office. Anyone can do this and you don’t need a third party despite what these scammers may tell you over the phone.

“No council would contact residents in this way and we would certainly not cold call homeowners and ask for their bank details. I would urge everyone to be vigilant and also keep an eye on older relatives or neighbours. Anyone concerned about a call should report it immediately.”

For more information about these types of scams, go to the Council Tax section on the Valuation Office Agency’s websitewww.voa.gov.uk or call 03000 501501.

On the 18th June 2016 Earnley Parish Council held its inaugural fete at Earnley Grange, Almodington Lane, Earnley from 2pm-5pm.

Celia and Ian kindly opened their gardens and field to enable the fete which was raising funds for St Wilfrid’s Hospice, the RNLI and Earnley Church.

We were blessed with the weather and volunteers that made the event such a success.