Hard to contactcouncil over rats

A Rother resident claims he spent three days trying to ring the district council to report a problem with rats but was unable to get through.

He says that it was only when he contacted the Rye MP’s office asking her for help that someone from Rother responded.

Harry Osborne, from Rye Harbour, says he first tried to call the Council last Thursday to report a problem of rats in his garden.

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He said: “I am in my 60’s and disabled. Like many older people I don’t have access to a computer and just wanted to talk to someone.

“I started calling at 9am on Thursday and even had friends who were ringing constantly on my behalf. We were unable to get through to any department,

“Eventually I called the MP’s office and they were very helpful. Someone from Rother then phoned on Monday and I was able to report the problem.

“I have to say the girl who contacted me was very helpful and understanding.”

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“There are eight to ten million people in this country who don’t have access to the internet, yet we still pay council tax and expect a service.

In response to early queries about it being hard to contact Rother Council, a spokesman said: “Since 2010, Rother District Council has seen a reduction in its government grant of £4million and, as a result, the number of employees has fallen. This level of cuts has had, and will continue to have an impact on the way we run services. As we continue to face financial pressure, we would urge members of the public to help ease the burden on our customer services team by using our website where possible.”

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