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Concerns raised about postal service on new estate

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TrueBlueTerrier
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Concerns raised about postal service on new estate

Post by TrueBlueTerrier »

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg899v0v98o

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People living on a new housing estate have voiced concerns about inadequate postal services.

Residents of Bidwell West in Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire have reported regularly missing mail deliveries and lengthy walks to send letters due to a lack of postboxes.

Alex Mayer, Labour MP for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard, has described the area's postal service as "second class".

Royal Mail said residents who needed to post a letter and were unable to visit their nearest postboxes could give stamped letters to its delivery staff instead.

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Local resident and campaigner Tim Haines said some neighbours had waited over a month for post to arrive.

"That's often led to some residents not getting invitations to hospital appointments. It's very unreliable," he said.

Locals wanting to post a letter faced a round trip of between 30 to 40 minutes on foot to reach postboxes in nearby Bedford Road and Bidwell Hill.

Mr Haines added: "A postbox may seem minor, but it highlights a bigger issue - new developments often lack basic infrastructure. We need to build communities, not just houses."

Mayer has joined the call for a postbox in the area and urged Royal Mail to address the issue.

The MP has previously mentioned in Parliament how new housing developments were being overlooked when it comes to basic amenities such as postboxes.

"Some new developments simply do not have them," she said during a recent debate.

"The law states that residents should be within 500 metres of a postbox, but that is simply not happening. After all, letters are vital for a thriving postal service."

Resident Amy Garrod said she had missed some important post: "I got engaged at Christmas and we've had families say they've sent us cards we never received, which is obviously a shame."

Royal Mail has not given any indication as to whether it plans to address the lack of postal services in Bidwell West.

Its guidelines say that 98% of all households across the UK should be within half a mile (0.8km) of a postbox.

"Should any residents need to post a letter and are unable to visit their nearest postboxes on Bedford Road and Bidwell Hill, they can hand stamped letters to our postmen and women when they are delivering the post," a Royal Mail spokesperson said.
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ted_e_bear
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Re: Concerns raised about postal service on new estate

Post by ted_e_bear »

"Should any residents need to post a letter and are unable to visit their nearest postboxes on Bedford Road and Bidwell Hill, they can hand stamped letters to our postmen and women when they are delivering the post," a Royal Mail spokesperson said.

Oh wait........ :d'oh!
SpacePhoenix
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Re: Concerns raised about postal service on new estate

Post by SpacePhoenix »

Probably no one has added the new estate to Route Planner or it's not been actually added to a walk yet
scoobydo79
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Re: Concerns raised about postal service on new estate

Post by scoobydo79 »

Yep . Anyone remember the days of when time was added for “Growth” to a delivery?
Londonsburning
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Re: Concerns raised about postal service on new estate

Post by Londonsburning »

scoobydo79 wrote:
17 Feb 2025, 18:29
Yep . Anyone remember the days of when time was added for “Growth” to a delivery?
Yup. Now it's just added on and rotate the failures, but make sure tracked and premium are delivered :thumbup jobs a good'n
Sean06
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Re: Concerns raised about postal service on new estate

Post by Sean06 »

Londonsburning wrote:
19 Feb 2025, 17:19
scoobydo79 wrote:
17 Feb 2025, 18:29
Yep . Anyone remember the days of when time was added for “Growth” to a delivery?
Yup. Now it's just added on and rotate the failures, but make sure tracked and premium are delivered :thumbup jobs a good'n
Before you left or returned to annoy people on here?
TrueBlueTerrier
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Re: Concerns raised about postal service on new estate

Post by TrueBlueTerrier »

Sean06 wrote:
19 Feb 2025, 23:39
Londonsburning wrote:
19 Feb 2025, 17:19
scoobydo79 wrote:
17 Feb 2025, 18:29
Yep . Anyone remember the days of when time was added for “Growth” to a delivery?
Yup. Now it's just added on and rotate the failures, but make sure tracked and premium are delivered :thumbup jobs a good'n
Before you left or returned to annoy people on here?
If he annoys you so much, you might consider using the "Friend/Foe" service we have available. It’s a better option than letting him derail the conversation. If I or Postman believe that he is trolling or violating the rules, we will handle the situation. However, we won't ban him simply because he holds a different opinion than most others here.

TLDR - Don't feed the trolls it only encourages them.
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