Rollout of ‘delivery to neighbour’ scheme likely
11th July 2012
Ofcom, the postal services regulator, has today
(Wednesday) launched a consultation in preparation for the rollout
of Royal Mail's 'delivery to neighbour' scheme across
the UK.
Welcoming the announcement, CWU deputy general secretary, Dave Ward, said: "It's high time that Royal Mail had the same freedoms as other postal companies to leave parcels and other mail items with neighbours when the customer is not at home."
CWU was involved in the successful trials of the system which started last year and took place in seven different locations around the UK. With over 90 per cent customer satisfaction levels and no negative feedback from postal workers on the initiative, Dave continued: "We've been fully involved in the trials which have largely gone well. Our only concern is that it could take postal workers longer to complete their deliveries under this scheme so we want to ensure that sufficient time is built into the shifts if and when this is rolled out UK-wide.
"Delivering to neighbours should improve the service that
many customers receive as the volume of packets and parcels -
largely due to internet shopping - continues to increase. It's
a sound scheme which makes good operational sense."
Subject to the consultation and implementation of certain safeguards, Ofcom is likely to give Royal Mail the green light to go ahead with the roll-out of their delivery to neighbour scheme nationwide. The consultation closes on 24th August and more details can be found on the Ofcom website.
