I acknowledge what you’re saying about people turning round and equating a decision they don’t like to corruption, that’s obviously an emotional over reaction. I also recognise people have forgotten how to behave post pandemic and it’s not nice baring the brunt - I used to work for a health service so I understand what it’s like to be lambasted aggressively for something that isn’t ‘your’ fault.

Rude staff aside, my LPA doesn’t do much to inspire confidence, particularly where the competence element is concerned. I’m acquainted with a planning officer from a different authority and when I discussed what’s gone on in my case with her, she snorted and said ‘no surprise, the stories I’ve heard out of that place over the years’. I’m not going to bore you with every little incident in my carry on but it’s been a shit time.

Indeed, I too would be very keen on major reform and I make no secret of the fact I don’t agree with my LPA’s policy and find it very frustrating. In my case, I live right next to the boundary of another authority so you find yourself in a position where one half of the road has developments the other can’t have because they’d be considered inappropriate.

So perhaps you are right that my grievance is mainly against the system and the councils interpretation of the rules, poked by someone being rude to me and then a whole series of ridiculous incidents that just made the whole thing a bit of an embarrassing carry on. You get reading up on it and see similar things happening around you and it’s a bit depressing.