Reader's Letter: Postal collections

Privatised for-profit business vs Public Service.

From the 'Master of the Post' under the reign of Henry VIII, and the first public postal service from way back in 1600's...... This is still one of the best deals around...... for 63p they'll carry your letter around for weeks and weeks,..... BARGAIN !.....but.......Just see how much this service would cost from an independent.......anything from £7 to £35 !!........This is not unlike Bertrand Russells Collection Paradox. ( circa 1900)..The problem with the Post office wasn't and isnt the hard working lads and lasses schlepping around in the rain snow and occasional sunshine delivering MILLIONS of communications...... but the 2012 undervalued sell off and undermining of the staff for profit ....So you cant really blame them for having a bit of a jape on our account !!

Like most privatised services,it has been screwed for profit.

We shouldn't be surprised that service deteriorates in order that the private snouts can snuffle up some profit. It was ever thus.

Could it be a mistake?
Might the P.C., or some other 'body', enquire on our behalf?

Last year it was announced that for nearly half of the post boxes their collection times were to be moved to as early as 9.00 am. There was the following article in the Daily Telegraph last August http://bit.ly/1q22E1Y.

Also found this from Royal Mail http://bit.ly/1SKXt5g

Although the posted collection times have changed the boxes still appear to be emptied at the old posted times! A postal employee advised me that the reorganisation had yet to be completed!?
Postal management seem to have "jumped the gun"- and haven't had the manners to inform us, the public!

@ Duncan Herald: it is no mistake; Conservative/Lib-Dem policy was privatisation, this is what you wanted. You were a member of the Parish Council when this change was widely advertised- did YOU do anything?

@ David Wright: these changes were implemented in Wilmslow exactly on time; where are the boxes located which are still being cleared in the afternoon? I would have thought that, having announced the changes, any catch-up was not "jumping the gun".

For the record: I was totally against this degradation of service when it was first proposed

Pete Taylor,

I didn't realise that I was individually the cause of privatisation. Perhaps you will be a happy bunny when Mr. Corbyn becomes P.M. and re-nationalises the railways?

I don't actually recall the matter of Postal Privitisation coming before the old Parish Council; how did that nice Mr. Cameron forget to ask us ?

When I suggested that some 'body' might see if there had been a mistake, I was thinking more of a mis-print, rather than a question about Govm. Policy!

You ask (above) 'did YOU do anything?'; may I pass that question back to you? Have/are you about to leap into action? A letter to the Guardian perhaps?

Leaving aside the slanging match, perhaps the serious point is that it is a matter the Parich council could properly take up. It is hard to see how much saving is made when the van is collecting post from other boxes in Alderley Edge. Penny-pinching at the expense of public service

@ Duncan Herald: yes as soon as my delivery postman told me about the proposals (some while before details appeared in the national press) I contacted the Area Delivery Manager and had a chat; he cited this being a national initiative and there was not much to be done about it. I asked how they would decide which boxes might get a late collection and he said that number of items in each box would be a factor and he expected late-collection boxes to be outside delivery offices and some main PO branches. I also asked him if this change complied with the latest acceptance time for First Class next day delivery and, from his answer, formed the opinion that all of that had been torn up as a result of privatisation.

As for rail re-nationalisation; I would be over the moon if we could get half-way back to the pre-Beeching levels of service. I suspect that I have more chance of ever being PM than that Corbyn fellow (someone I had not even heard of until last week).

I would suggest that not only did Cameron forget you but so did our MP, who probably had more to do with RM privatisation. To be frank, Osborne must be slightly puzzled why, on a polling day which saw a significant national swing to Conservative, one of his local councils lost every single seat.

Pete Taylor,
so in essence: you already knew that nought could be done before you asked me what did I do. Rather a waste of time then?

I'm unsure what your (gloating?) comments in your last paragraph have to do with the post. But if we must trade silly insults, may I mention the absence of Lab. M.Ps in Scotland? Not to mention the Tories sweeping to power?