Mail Problems? - Why not move to the Hebrides?

Local post lags Scottish Isles for first class delivery performance

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Percentage of first class mail delivered next day

Position Postcode Area
April 03 – Mar 04
%
1* NN Northamptonshire 74.3
2 SW London 82.1
3 SE London SE 84.4
4 W London West 84.6
5 HA Harrow 84.8
6 DA Dartford 85.3
7 NW London NW 85.6
8 WC London West Central 85.6
9 CM Chelmsford 85.8
10 N London N 86.4

* An arson attack at the Northamptonshire depot disrupted services during this period

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Postwatch

Despite the fact that mail in the Hebrides is delivered by a ferry service that is disrupted by the weather on a regular basis they still are more likely to get their first class mail than we are.

The latest figures on first class delivery performance shows that London area post codes dominate the bottom of the league. A fire in a Northampton depot knocked the SW area off the bottom spot with the W post code area once again featuring in the last ten.

The bad news is that these figures pre-date the reorganisation of working practises in the Post Office which have caused a further deterioration in the local mail service.

Postwatch, the mail service watchdog described the figures as indicating an 'annus horribilis' for the Royal Mail. In 2003/4 the service failed to hit all 15 of the targets set for them. At the same time customers are paying more for the service. The price rise in May 2003 has added £170 million to Royal Mail’s coffers. The penny increase on 2nd class mail as from April 2004 is adding around another £70 million.

Peter Carr, Chairman of Postwatch, commenting on Royal Mail’s announcement of a return to profitability
said, "Royal Mail has rightly focussed on returning to profit but has taken its eye off of its delivery performance to customers. Customers are paying more and getting less. Only a monopoly can do this."

He said he expected the newly appointed regulator to take action and that directors' and senior managers' bonues should be 'hard wired' to delivery standards.

The poor numbers are in part a result of the unofficial industrial reaction in London last November but the area has consistently featured in the bottom ten over the last three years.

Royal Mail delivers around 82 million items every working day. About 20 million items are 1st class stamped or franked. Royal Mail achieved a performance of 90.1 per cent. This means that around 2 million 1st class items do not arrive next day.

June 4, 2004