Royal Mail has offered to extend weekend postal collection times in Brymbo, Wrexham, after concerns were raised by North Wales AM Antoinette Sandbach.
But the company is still refusing to re-site the village’s post box so it is outside the new Post Office in the Enterprise Centre, despite requests from local residents, councillors and Ms Sandbach.
Sandbach said:
“Although I am pleased that Royal Mail is making some concessions, it still does not agree that there should be a post box outside the village’s main Post Office. I understand that during the week people are leaving items to post with the sub-postmistress, though that is hardly convenient, if they have to queue to do so.
“And this new Post Office is not open at weekends, although I understand that many people would like this. I am also pleased to hear that a growing number of people are using the service.”
Following a site visit by Marc Jackson, Royal Mail Head of Collections, the final Saturday collection time at Brymbo’s two post-boxes at 73 Queens Head and Brynffynnon Pgrai will now be noon on Saturdays. For safety reasons, Brynffynnon postbox will be re-sited across the road at a more accessible location by the local noticeboard. Collection times at both, Monday to Friday, are at 4pm, and 4.10pm at the new post office branch at the Enterprise Centre.
The village was without a Post Office for several months after the previous branch closed. The new branch is 320 yards from the former Post office and Post box.
Sandbach added:
“The Post Office network is undergoing a major transformation and a number of counters are moving premises into village shops. Often this means they are open for longer hours, but one consequence is that there is no longer a Royal Mail post box outside.
“Ofcom rules state that 85% of the population should not be more than half a mile from the nearest post box. As a Regional Assembly Member for North Wales I want to ensure those living in rural areas are not left at a disadvantage and so each time I will be checking to ensure this is the case.”
A Royal Mail spokeswoman wrote to Ms Sandbach to say:
“As a company with over 115,000 post boxes across the UK, our aim is to provide all of our customers with accessible posting facilities in line with our service obligations and that we aim to have posting facilities within half a mile of the majority of addresses in the UK.
“Postboxes incur considerable costs in terms of installation, maintenance and collection. Faced with falling volumes of social mail, as well as increasingly tough trading conditions, Royal Mail must constantly review its operational efficiency.
“It is our view that current provision is adequate in light of both the regulatory requirements placed upon us and the usage patterns of the existing facilities.”
