ALLIANCE OF BRITISH

DRIVERS
27 SEPTEMBER 2014


Presentation by Mr Mustard
It all started with this sign!
Mr Mustard
Who am I?
What do I do?
When do I do it?
Why do I do it?
Where do I do it?

Who am I?
At one and the same time I am Mr Mustard (born 10 March 2011)
and Derek Dishman (born 20 May 1957).
In real life I am a debt collector and house renovator.

As Mr Mustard I have
Appeared in Private Eye and gained Barnet Council a mention in their annual
awards "highly commended in legal bullies of the year"
Been praised by the Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP along with Mrs Angry and The
Barnet Eye at the CIPFA conference for our armchair audit skills
been reported to the Information Commissioner for not registering the blog under
the Data Protection Act - I didn't need to
been less lucky with the Information Commissioner who decided that 400
Freedom of Information questions to Barnet Council in 3 years meant that my
questions (not me fortunately) could be classified as vexatious and not answered.
Rather than spend many days fighting through the Upper Tier tribunal I negotiated
with the Chief Operating Officer an annual quota of 60, which I don't use much of,
and I agreed not to criticise junior staff. Odd really as it is the ranks of the junior
staff who love the blog and where my moles self appoint themselves from.

What do I do?
I write the Mr Mustard blog
I answer genuine parking questions sent to my agony uncle column
in the Barnet Times newspaper
Ride with the NoToMob
Attend Barnet Council committee meetings, ask difficult questions
and address the committee for up to 3 minutes (we used to get 5)
Challenge council parking tickets
Appear at PATAS most weeks
Complain about bailiff behaviour or charges on every single case I
touch. So far I have recovered 3 cars from the car pound although
they have taken for 2, 7 & 8 months. One for a lady who was 6
months pregnant at the time.
Challenged the Annual Accounts of the council with the external
auditor for containing illegal income. Last year all 5 challenges were
rejected. I have just the one running this year.
Provided 50% of the Evidence Bundle for the Permit Price Rise
judicial review.

When do I do it?
NotOMob is on odd Saturdays.
PATAS is usually on a Wednesday morning.
Parking tickets are challenged during the day when
I am working at my day job as both of them are
mostly paperwork.
Council committee meetings are usually of an
evening except Tuesdays when I prefer to play
snooker with my mates.
I am probably spending 15 - 20 hours a week as Mr
Mustard.
Why do I do it?
Two reasons.

1 The first was increasing the residents permit
from 40 to 100 which got my goat. It wasn't
the money for me but the blatant revenue
raising.

2 The second was that parking tickets are used
as a revenue stream in order to keep council
tax down and this leads to many opportunistic
and unfair PCN. I've blogged about this and
you can find it on the Mr Mustard blog, the
second entry after my notes for this
presentation.

Where do I do it?
Mostly in Barnet but NoToMob days have
visited various London Boroughs north of the
Thames.

As to parking tickets they have been as far
north as Aberdeen and as far west as Bath.

Traffic Wardens are like
courgettes....
How long can you park?