Business concerns over rural mail in Devon and Cornwall

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8583866.stm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Business leaders in Devon and Cornwall are writing to Royal Mail with concerns over delivery changes which could see items arrive late into the afternoon.

The guidelines for the latest deliveries in urban areas used to be 1400 hrs. Now it is 1500. For rural areas it was 1500 hrs but is now 1600.

The Devon and Cornwall Business Council said it wanted assurances deliveries would be made as early as possible.
Royal Mail said most customers would still receive deliveries by 1400.

The changes are part of a settlement between Royal Mail after a long-running dispute over pay and working practices which led to nationwide strikes last year.

Jeremy Filmer-Bennett, of the Business Council, said the organisation was protesting against the changes because they could threaten the survival of some small firms.

He said: "We think it's actually against the interests of businesses in the far south west [of England].

"For instance, there's a huge growth in postal-based businesses due to the internet and broadband, and this is simply going to make their life more difficult than it is already."

The Royal Mail said that the overwhelming majority of customers would continue to get their post by 1400, as was the case at present

[POSTMAN]

Bit late now Jeremy,where was you when we were telling you lot during the strikes that it was going to happen!