'Beginning of the end' fears over postal service
By Steve Barton and Rick Burin
A PATELEY Bridge councillor has spoken out over fears that more rural communities could lose their postal service, after Royal Mail refused to deliver to a remote North Yorkshire hamlet because of health and safety concerns.
Services to Booze in Arkengarthdale have been suspended after a health and safety inspection found postmen were at risk of back injuries, leaving 15 families having to drive to Richmond to collect their own letters and parcels.
Coun Stan Beer said: “If a similar thing happened in Pateley Bridge, there would be uproar.
“People shouldn’t be expected to have to go so far out of their way to get their mail.
“The postman is a very important part of the community - he checks up on people and passes on the gossip that holds together rural communities.
“In rural areas he is a vital figure, I think people here are more concerned about losing the postman than the mail.”
And he said postmen should be given whatever vehicle or equipment they need to do the job, adding that the county council had a role in making sure access routes to the Dales were suitable.
“If you can’t remove the hazard, you take precautions, you don’t just stop doing it altogether,” he said.
“What’s the next thing going to be? Ambulances not picking people up because they can’t use the roads? It’s the beginning of the end, it’s crazy,” he added.
Residents of Booze were given just 24 hours notice of the decision to axe their delivery service.
In a letter, delivery office manager Colin Appleby said: “A health and safety risk assessment has confirmed that the level of risk associated with this delivery is unacceptable due to an unsuitable track.”
Mr Appleby told residents their address would be classed as “one which does not receive the normal daily delivery to the door for health and safety reasons.”
County councillor John Blackie, who represents the Upper Dales on the county council, described the decision as “scandalous” and warned that dozens of other Dales communities could suffer a similar loss of service.
“If they are going to cut off deliveries to places like Booze, when is the next small rural community that I represent going to lose their post?” he said.
“I can think of a dozen communities in the Dales with access roads equal to Booze or even slightly worse who will be under threat.”
Farmer’s wife Hazel Harker said: “The whole hamlet is in an uproar about it. It is a council road and we have always had deliveries by the mail van.”
Royal Mail said concerns had been raised by delivery staff and checks confirmed they were at risk.
“Affected customers were made aware of the issue and we have agreed with them to deliver their mail temporarily to an alternative address of their choice whilst arrangements are made for Royal Mail to provide, as a gesture of goodwill, roadside boxes which will become their permanent delivery point.”
But Coun Beer said Royal Mail had a duty to serve rural communities.
“Delivering mail to the countryside might cost more, but we’re here to support the countryside for everyone to enjoy,” he said.
“Royal Mail makes profits in the towns and they should use that money to provide a proper service.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Harrogate
Sunday 05 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 2 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 0 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North
