Car park for permit holders only? What a crazy idea.  

The last time I tried to park in town the complexity of paying got me a fine.  

A long time back and I haven't parked there since.

The brilliant bus service is something the council has got right.

To encourage people to come to town, to help reduce the number of empty shop spaces and to make Basingstoke a shopping bonanza, the council should make parking free.  

Shop owners who already pay excessive rents and rates need all the help they can get. Closed shops are surely a clue that current rules don't work.

Another thing, I ordered two Air Fryers from Robert Dyas several weeks ago. 

One was a double-drawer one for us hopefully increasing the pleasures we had gained from a single-drawer version, the other, a single-drawer fryer as a present for a rather special friend, who as yet had not experienced the benefit to be gained from these recently popularized discoveries.

The two-drawer unit arrived by Yodel but the smaller one missed the transport. 

Several frantic attempts to make contact with the missing item eventually established that it was enjoying a tour of the country being moved from one Yodel depot to another.  Trust it enjoyed the ride!

Having foolishly advised our friend that a present was on its way we were somewhat embarrassed by the situation. The best Robert Dyas could do, with no warning was to offer a refund. Great service!

Graeme Hewitt

The Vale

Oakley

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