ROYAL MAIL DELIVERIES IN BROADSTONE

In response to many residents who have been asking why the Royal Mail delivery office at Broadstone was relocated, I am pleased the Editor has given me this opportunity to explain the reasons behind the move. Eric Burge, Area Manager, Dorset & SW Hants.

THE BACKGROUND. Just before Christmas the postmen and women who serve the residents of Broadstone moved to the Dorset mail centre on the Nuffield Industrial Estate from their old premises located behind the Post Office in Dunyeats Road.

Over the years the number of staff at Broadstone has gradually risen to meet the challenge of dramatic increases in mail volumes each year - fifty per cent up in the past decade alone and still rising. We eventually reached the point when we simply outgrew the available accommodation. This threatened the health and safety of our employees and prevented them from giving the standard of service our customers have a right to expect.

The former Broadstone delivery office offered little opportunity for expansion to accommodate new staff or better equipment, so after a whole range of options were considered, the decision was taken to move to the Dorset mail centre. Now in modern premises, our staff can use more up to date equipment to help them cope with increases in sizes of letters and packets and in mail volumes.

THE OPTIONS. Royal Mail expected that saturation point would eventually be reached at the Broadstone delivery office and has been looking at alternatives for a number of years. We even planned to move the operation to Wimborne afew years ago. But rising mail volumes meant we needed to review that option too.

We considered relocating some staff to another office, but this would have meant mail would need to be segregated between two locations - resulting in increased costs and potential delay to the mail; neither of which would have been acceptable. We even considered relocating all the staff to an office at Alder Hills but again, with such large increases in mail volumes, this idea was also rejected because the accommodation simply was not big enough to allow us to absorb the Broadstone operation.

Unfortunately, we had limited scope for staying in Broadstone because the type of light industrial accommodation which we were seeking is not readily available in the well established and prosperous community which exists in the town.

THE FUTURE. Dorset mail centre has now provided the space and conditions needed for the short term, with an independent building for the Broadstone staff being planned on the Nuffield site in the near future. The long term future is linked to a wider strategy that is looking at Royal Mail requirements across the whole of the Poole conurbation.

SERVICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS. Unfortunately, errors did occur when we relocated to the Dorset mail centre which, regretfully, led to a drop in the standard of our service. We offer belated apologies to affected customers in the Broadstone area together with our assurance that we are committed to achieving an overall improvement in the standard of service.

I believe there is more we can do and I know that our postmen and women are keen to support our efforts in every way they can. As a temporary measure, more mail is now prepared during the night to try to help ensure staff can start their delivery round as early as possible.

WHAT NEXT. Broadstone delivery rounds have now been re-plotted to take account of the new geography and six more staff are being employed to ensure all Broadstone customers get the best service possible. We are planning to introduce these changes in the near future and are confident they will provide a permanent solution and restore customers satisfaction."

For more information contact: Karen Allen, 01202 368354

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