Covid chaos is still causing red tape misery for millions of Britons with months-long delays in the processing of essential documents such as passports and driving licences.
Yet an overwhelming majority of civil servants are continuing to work from home – 80 per cent in some departments – despite the Government encouraging workers to return to offices.
Last night, MPs and campaigners urged them to return immediately.
There has been a series of strikes after staff complained about returning to the office following concerns about the lack of social distancing
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: ‘They’ve got to get back into the offices and look at ways of clearing the backlog.’
John O’Connell of the TaxPayers’ Alliance added: ‘With taxes at the highest level for 70 years, it would be deeply unfair for taxpayers to see the standard of services decline due to the Whitehall work-from-home revolution.’
DRIVING LICENCESRolling strike action and social-distancing rules have left the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) facing a ten-week turnaround time for new licences. The Swansea-based agency is still processing driving licence renewals it received in June.
There has been a series of strikes after staff complained about returning to the office following concerns about the lack of social distancing.
Industrial action by the Public and Commercial Services Union has added almost half a million items to the backlog, which means there are about 1.4 million licences waiting to be processed.
There are also long delays for learner drivers who want to take a theory test
Student Mia McFadden, 17, from Southbourne, Dorset, saved up and bought herself a Fiat 500 from her wages at McDonald’s. But she still can’t drive it because she faced a ten-week wait getting her provisional licence due to Covid delays and then found herself at the back of a three-month queue for driving lessons.
‘Now I can’t find an instructor because there is a massive backlog in people taking their test,’ said Mia, right. ‘I won’t be able to have any lessons until next year.’
There are also long delays for learner drivers who want to take a theory test. Some living in Aberdeen have even made the 1,000-mile return trip to take it in London because of the delays in Scotland. Both practical driving tests and theory tests were suspended from January due to restrictions, but resumed in July, creating a massive backlog.
The DVLA said: ‘There are delays in processing paper applications due to ongoing industrial action and social-distancing requirements.’
PASSPORTSOfficials are warning travellers they face a ten-week wait for a new passport rather than the usual three – but The Mail on Sunday has found people being forced to wait more than three months.
Karen Hyman, 47, applied for a renewal of her six-year-old son’s passport on July 23 for a family holiday with her partner and other son in late August.
But when it did not arrive in time she was forced to cancel the whole trip. ‘My boys are devastated and we have lost over £3,000,’ she said.
Last night, a Home Office spokesman said they are ‘currently issuing online renewals within published
