last post may have sounded for 1st class mail in Scotland

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Fears that the last post may have been sounded for first class mail in Scotland

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scott ... ed-5291971" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

COLLECTION times have been cut by up to nine hours at 3300 postboxes with the last daily pick-up at some now 9am Monday to Friday.

ROYAL Mail have sounded the last post for their first class service in Scotland – by slashing
collection times at low-use postboxes.

The scheme is being rolled out to 3300 boxes north of the Border which carry 50 items or less a day as they do not cover their costs.

Collection times have been cut by up to nine hours with the last daily pick-up at some boxes now 9am Monday to Friday when it was previously 6pm.

The changes mean that first class letters posted later than 9am are unlikely to be collected until the next day.

On Saturdays those times have been cut, in some areas, to 7am when customers previously had until 12 noon to post letters.

Royal Mail confirmed last week that 1155 boxes have so far been identified as moving to the new arrangements. The rest will be rolled out over the next year.

The majority of boxes moving to collection on delivery are in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

SNP postal services spokesman Mike Weir said: “Consumers and businesses will be rightly
furious.

“The Royal Mail sell-off has been a shambles since day one. The majority of Scots were opposed to the privatisation of Royal Mail.

“We need a service that meets the needs of our communities and one which is brought back into public ownership.’’

A third of Scotland’s 10,000 postboxes are moving to collection on delivery and the process will take up to two years to complete. Royal Mail claim there will be no effect on the service to customers as boxes with later collection times are available within half a mile.

A spokesman said: “A decline in letter volumes means many postboxes no longer cover costs.

“The collection from certain postboxes will be carried out by the local postman or woman on their route, at a time dependent on where the box is located.

“No postboxes will be removed and, for any boxes moving to the earlier collection time, we will ensure there is a late posting box within half a mile.”

They also said the earlier times on the boxes were there to cover all eventualities, with many postmen only leaving the office at 9am. They added: “Many postboxes will be collected later than this.

“There will also be new postboxes introduced in Scotland either in rural communities where access to a postbox is less than in urban areas or in high footfall areas like train stations.”

The Communication Workers Union’s Bob Gibson said: “We warned of losing postboxes and other changes to the service before privatisation and we are seeing some of those come into play.

“The regulator Ofcom is driving this by saying Royal Mail are inefficient and need to cut costs.”

But Ofcom denied they were behind the changes. A spokesman said: “We understand the
importance of postboxes to local communities and our rules require Royal Mail to provide
sufficient boxes to meet the needs of postal users across the UK.

“There must now be a postbox within half a mile of at least 98 per cent of addresses.”

[Lounge Lizard]

No different from the rest of the UK

[hans solo]

just what i was going to ask
BUT what about london

[STEWYMAC]

The 3 boxes I empty on my round collectively have less than 50 items a day,prehaps I should ask Moya to scrap those too.

[Lounge Lizard]

just what i was going to ask
BUT what about london

Oh, yes, I forgot London, streets paved with gold and ALL their boxes carry 50 items or more a day so no changes there.