Confusion about Freedom Pass renewal - please read and share with Freedom Pass holders
Posted by Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, at 14:43, Mon 8 February 2010:
Dear Friend,
Having had many older residents contact me about the lack of information regarding Freedom Pass renewal, it’s become clear that Haringey Council has done a very poor job of letting Freedom Pass holders know that their passes are up for renewal. So, to help cut the risk of current pass holders being left stranded on the 1st April, I wanted to take this chance to help spread some information.
One of my constituents (in her 80s) contacted me in great distress, having found out that she’d missed her allocated slot for renewing her Freedom Pass. She had simply not been informed that she needed to renew the pass, and only found out by seeing a small ad in the paper. After three hours on the phone, trying to find out where to go for renewal, she finally found out that she needed to go to the post office and, thankfully, is now waiting for her new pass to be sent out.
But had the constituent not discovered that she needed to renew the pass, from that small ad in the paper, and had she not been so persistent in finding out how to go about it, the deadline of the 31st March would have come and gone and she would have been stranded with no valid pass - and that is not right!
So, to compensate for Haringey Council’s lack of information, please see below on what to do to get the pass renewed, and please share this information with friends and neighbours who might not know it:
The Freedom Pass needs to be renewed by the 31st March. If it isn’t renewed by then, you will not be able to travel for free.
The new pass will be valid for 5 years - but you need to fill in a form (that can either be collected from the post office or downloaded from the council’s website).You can also download it by clicking here: http://www.haringey.gov.uk/older_persons_freedom_pass.pdf
You need to fill in the form and return it to a post office, together with two passport size photographs, proof of age and proof of address.
The council wants you to go to the post office and renew your pass according to the following slots (as you can see, many have now come and gone - but there is still time, even if you have missed your allocated slot):
A/B/C/D/E surnames: 4-16 January 2010
F/G/H/I/J surnames: 18-23 January
K/L/M/N/O surnames: 25-30 January
P/Q/R/S/T/U/V/W/X/Y/Z surnames: 1-6 February
If you miss your week, please apply 8-13 February
You can also read about renewing the pass from Haringey’s website by clicking here: http://www.haringey.gov.uk/older_persons_freedom_pass and from London Council’s website by clicking here: http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/freedompass/default.htm
If you have any difficulties renewing your pass, or come across problems, please get in touch with me and I’ll do what I can to help, either by emailing to this address or calling my office on 020 8340 5459. You can also write to me, at: Lynne Featherstone MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.
Kind regards,
Lynne MP for Hornsey & Wood Green (Lib Dem) (020) 8340 5459 lynne@lynnefeatherstone.org
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