I HAVE lived in Harrow for the last two years, having moved with my young daughter to join the Metropolitan Police.

My daughter currently attends private nursery on a full time basis and is due to start first school from September.

I completed her school application and returned it over a month before the deadline,however,it was lost in the post and returned to my daughter only two weeks ago.

I have proof of this error on the part of Royal Mail and foolishly approached Harrow Council, hoping they would offer some assistance.

The council has informed me that my daughter's application will be treated as any other "late" application. Basically after all other applications have been dealt with and school places offered, my daughter will get the leftovers.

As you can imagine,after paying two years of council tax and valuing the education of my daughter I am extremely distressed and worried about her future.

Harrow Council has only reinforced my opinion that civil servants are over-paid and under trained.

I'm sure other readers who have experienced the "one-stop-shop" at Harrow civic centre would share my view that council staff are generally unhelpful, unsympathetic, and may wonder exactly why they pay council tax?

JOANNE SPOONER

Bishop Ken Road, Harrow Weald