Community will get recognition from Royal Mail

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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EFFORTS to get Hanham recognised by Royal Mail look to have paid off, with addresses likely to be moved out of their previous "location" of Kingswood.

It was a retired Royal Mail project manager who pressed for the change, after becoming irritated when continually being told that he lived in Kingswood.

Rob Withers got the backing of his MP Chris Skidmore and local councillors – a necessary step in a set process before action could be taken.

Now Royal Mail has said it will write to those householders affected to seek their agreement. The outcome will lead either to the change being made or a ballot being organised to determine the outcome.

Mr Withers, 60, of Gunning Close, said: "We have lived in Hanham for many years and just over three years ago we moved from Forest Edge to Gunning Close, which is adjacent to Hanham Mount.

"Since then, many of the businesses and other institutions I have dealt with insist that our address is Gunning Close, Kingswood, which it is not as the Hanham boundary with Kingswood runs along Beaconlea."

Having worked for Royal Mail for 34 years, he realised the problem was down to an error made when a database for the post code system was developed. That was then sold to businesses and various agencies so they could provide an automatic address system.

Mr Withers even provided a map as proof of the boundary between Hanham and Kingswood as Royal Mail had no records.

He said: "This is all about identity and having an error that was made in the past corrected. I know the line of an address that gives the name of an area, such as Hanham or Kingswood, is irrelevant to Royal Mail and has no operational significance to them. It is not used when processing mail for delivery and my request does not require any changes to post codes.

"But it can be irritating that we are continually told we live in Kingswood just because of a Royal Mail error."

Mr Skidmore said: "It would be a very welcome change that would ensure Hanham's independence as a small town in its own right is recognised. Hanham is not a sub-district of Kingswood but a proud community with its own distinct character, with its own High Street, community organisations, vibrant church groups and local businesses. I believe many people living in Hanham would welcome this move."

Correspondence to Mr Skidmore and Mr Withers from Royal Mail said consent and support was needed from South Gloucestershire and parish councils, the MP and chamber of commerce before a change could be made.

Tanya Gourley, of its address management centre, said the change would affect about 3,300 addresses but it would not have any impact on the level of service they received.

[TeeferTiger]

Some businesses must still have old copies of the PAF, or RM haven't updated the county to Conwy (but I'm sure it has because when I was doing all the A Plus stuff, I'm sure it had the correct county on...), because when it comes to inputting the address here I have to choose sometimes from Clwyd, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Conwy and even Caernarfonshire on some web address forms.