The Leader of the Opposition and Shaw Liberal Democrat Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, is proposing a motion to the next meeting of full Council (7 September) demanding the replacement of five post boxes that have disappeared from various locations in Shaw and Crompton over the last nine months.

Councillor Sykes roundly condemned the unresponsiveness and inactivity of the senior management of Royal Mail over this period. He said:

“Over this period I have written numerous letters asking then demanding action to Royal Mail senior managers, including the Chief Executive.  At least I have been able to find a local letter box in which to post these, but many of my constituents, a lot of whom are elderly, infirm or disabled, cannot and so they encounter great difficulty in sending mail.  Those most inconvenienced are the residents of Dunwood Park Courts who found themselves without a post box since last November.”

“It is simply unacceptable that Royal Mail, which by law is meant to maintain a universal postal service and be a customer-facing business, has failed to replace these letter boxes over the time.  How much longer are customers expected to wait?  At this rate, and with the Royal Mail’s attitude that replacement will happen sometime in the future at an undisclosed date, my constituents might not even be unable to post Christmas cards for a second year running.”

Councillor Sykes’ motion calls on the Council to write corporately to the Chief Executive and Chairman of Royal Mail demanding immediate action.  Councillor Sykes also wants to see a new statutory right for local authorities and local people to be consulted by Royal Mail before a post box is lost or is not immediately replaced.

Liberal Democrat Crompton Councillor Diane Williamson, who is backing the motion, added:

“This is no requirement in law for the Royal Mail to carry out a consultation before taking action and removing a post box, or after a short period of time if they fail to replace one that is stolen or damaged.  Shaw and Crompton Councillors do not believe that this is acceptable.”

We are therefore asking the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sports asking for one to be created in law as clearly the voluntary arrangements have totally failed my own, and Councillor Sykes’s constituents who have been massively inconvenienced over many months.”

The motion reads: Missing Post Boxes

Council believes that it is a disgrace and a scandal that over the last nine months five Royal Mail post boxes have disappeared in Shaw and Crompton.

Council recognises that this has caused great inconvenience to residents; most particularly to those living on Dunwood Park Courts, who have been without a local post box since November 2015, and to the many elderly, infirm or disabled residents living adjacent to these five locations, who struggle, or simply find it impossible, to walk to the next available post box.

Furthermore, Council is deeply disappointed by the:

• lack of urgency in the response from the Chief Executive of Royal Mail to representations made on this matter by local Councillors

• vague promises made to reinstate these post boxes at some unspecified future date

• apparent lack of a statutory requirement for Royal Mail to consult with any local authority, and local residents, before a post box is removed from a public location

Council resolves to request that the Chief Executive writes to:

• The Chief Executive and Chairman of Royal Mail Plc conveying this Council’s robust view on this matter and demanding the early reinstatement of these post boxes as a matter of urgency

• The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport asking the Government to establish a statutory requirement for Royal Mail to consult any District or Unitary Council, and local residents, prior to the removal (or non-replacement for a period of more than one calendar month) of any public post box from their area

Councillor Howard Sykes says Royal Mail fail to follow their own rules re the missing post box (nearly 10 months now) at the entrance to Dunwood Park Courts, Milnrow Road, Shaw, Oldham.

Copy of letter I have sent today – my 10^th about this matter!

See my first and his response in January:

http://howardsykes.mycouncillor.org.uk/2016/02/15/councillor-demands-missing-royal-mail-post-box-is-replaced/

23 August 2016

Mr Steve Buckley, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Royal Mail Plc, 100 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0HQ

Dear Mr Buckley,

Re: Disappearance of Royal Mail Post Box, Dunwood Park Courts, Shaw, Oldham.

Thank you for your recent letter of 7 August to which I replied on 15 August.  Whilst I am grateful for your response, we are still no further forward and this is now my ninth communication with you about this matter.

This particular Post Box has been missing since November 2015 and it is a disgrace and a scandal that the residents of Dunwood Park Courts and surrounding area have been without a Post Box for nine whole months.  The majority of these residents are elderly, infirm or disabled and are having to travel to simply post a letter.

I must express my disappointment in the lack of urgency in your response; while you have given vague responses, you have as yet failed to supply a date to reinstate this Post Box.

Other Post Boxes have been replaced, why not this one?

Ofcom’s most recently published statement on regulatory protections for the provision of postboxes states that Royal Mail must ensure that:

• there is a post box within 0.5 miles by straight line distance of at least 98% of delivery points (i.e. people’s houses) nationally; and
• for the remaining 2% of delivery points, Royal Mail must provide sufficient access points or other means of access to the universal service (e.g. collection on delivery from very remote or isolated locations such as farmhouses) to meet the reasonable needs of users.

How does the failure to replace or relocate this post box comply with the above?

I have also attached a copy of Royal Mails own protocols for mail box removal and relocation.

I have highlighted a number of sections that appear to have not been followed with this postbox.  They are reproduced in full below.

When a box needs to be taken out of service, either temporarily sealed or permanently removed, a notice will be displayed to tell customers why and give details of the nearest 3 alternative posting facilities.

Not aware the above has been complied with.

Where it is possible to do so, we will provide a four week notification to consumers when we plan to remove or relocate a box. However, sometimes a four week period is not possible because a significant proportion of removals and relocations are due to events outside of our control – such as when a box is damaged or stolen.

Appreciate four weeks is not always possible but this is now nine months!

If we have to remove a posting box

 Before we take a decision to remove a postbox, a number of things are taken into consideration:

• Whether the original issue can be overcome
• Feasibility of repairing a box
• Finding a suitable alternative site
• The distance to and location of the next nearest 3 alternative boxes
• That the needs of customer in the area will still be met if the box isn’t replaced
• The number of delivery points which may now be further than half a mile from a box

Nine months on not aware any of the above has been done?

Therefore, and I take no pleasure in being so blunt and direct but the other eight approaches about this matter have not helped resolve matters for my constituents.

A detailed and considered response to the highlighted sections from your own protocols would be appreciated.

I would also expect a specific and detailed response and a date of if and when this Post Box will be replaced or relocated.

I would urge you to replace this particular one or relocate VERY nearby as the elderly residents are in need of a local Post Box.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely – Howard Sykes

Royal Mail protocol for postbox removal and relocation (off their web site)

 https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/132/related/1

 We are committed to retaining our ‘six days a week’ collection from all our 115,000 postboxes. In the
UK, we have one of the highest numbers and densities of postboxes in Europe and this hasn’t changed over the past decade.

From time to time, it may become necessary to remove or relocate a postbox. We don’t remove boxes due to under-utilisation. There are, however, various reasons why we might have to take a box out of service:

• A risk to the safety of our postmen and postwomen
• The security of the mail in a particular postbox may be compromised
• Building works mean it’s not possible to access a postbox
• Re-routing of traffic, making it dangerous for us to collect from a postbox
• A request to remove a postbox from private land by the landowner
• Damage to a box due to a road traffic accident

When a box needs to be taken out of service, either temporarily sealed or permanently removed, a notice will be displayed to tell customers why and give details of the nearest 3 alternative posting facilities.

Where it is possible to do so, we will provide a four week notification to consumers when we plan to remove or relocate a box. However, sometimes a four week period is not possible because a significant proportion of removals and relocations are due to events outside of our control – such as when a box is damaged or stolen.

If we have to remove a posting box

 Before we take a decision to remove a postbox, a number of things are taken into consideration:

• Whether the original issue can be overcome
• Feasibility of repairing a box
• Finding a suitable alternative site
• The distance to and location of the next nearest 3 alternative boxes
• That the needs of customer in the area will still be met if the box isn’t replaced
• The number of delivery points which may now be further than half a mile from a box

If a postbox has to be relocated

 Where we have to relocate a postbox we will always:

• Inform customers of the reason why, via a notice on or near the box
• Consult appropriate parties, such as local councils, land owners and engineering contractors;
• Complete relocation/repair work within reasonable timescales, usually six months.

 What to do if you have a problem

• If you would like to discuss the removal or relocation of a box in your area or you are experiencing a problem, please contact us using the help centre link to the right of this page.
• To help us answer your query, please remember to note the location of the box and its individual identification number.

15 August 2016

Mr Steve Buckley, Chairman & Chief Executive Office, Royal Mail Plc, 100 Victoria Embankment, London, EC4Y 0HQ

Dear Mr Buckley,

Re: Disappearance of Royal Mail Post Box on Milnrow Road, Long Rushes (High Crompton), Shaw, Oldham.

Thank you for your recent letter of 7 August.  Whilst I am grateful for your response, I still have no further information to share with my constituents.

These Post Boxes have now been missing for almost seven months.  I have received numerous complaints from concerned constituents; the majority of which are elderly, who have to travel to simply post a letter.

I would welcome a dialog and some information about this matter as soon as possible.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely – Howard Sykes