Ban on rural postmen delivering newspapers
Abergavenny Chronicle - 27 February 2003
LIZ DAVIES REPORTS
THE Post Office has defended a decision to prevent employees based at Abergavenny delivering newspapers
to outlying areas, saying that postmen are not employed to be ‘newspaper boys and girls’.
Monmouth AM David Davies, is among those to hit out at the decision, claiming that elderly residents and rural
businesses could suffer as a result.
“Informal agreements have existed between individual postmen and newsagents for many years, whereby if the
postman was driving around a rural area they would drop off a newspaper as they put the post into the box,”
said Mr Davies.
“The new rulings which will end this practice will particularly affect elderly people dependent upon
almost non-existent public transport. Even if they could walk to a bus stop they are unlikely to
make a special journey just to get a newspaper.”
Mr Davies added that the knock on effect for newsagents could result in a cut in profits at a time when many were
already finding it hard to make a profit.
“We have already seen he closure of far too many schools, post offices and pubs in the countryside and now it
seems that village shops are also being threatened,” he said.
The decision to call a halt to the long established practice came into force on February
10 and has been defended by the Post Office’s area operations manager Paul Kelly,
who described it as a ‘strictly informal arrangement between newsagents and individuals
who happen to be employed by Royal Mail’.
“I am informed that the practice is widespread and that these individuals receive payment from the newsagents whilst being
employed by us and using our vans,” said Mr Kelly.
“I was unaware of this until recently and while I can understand the attraction it offers to all concerned I’m afraid I
am not able to support its continuation.”
Mr Kelly said his decision was not ‘simply a matter of wanting to stop an informal practice for which the Royal Mail
received no payment’ but explained that the delivery was in breach of the Royal Mail’s operating contract, which did not
allow it to provide a free delivery service.
He added that the practice was also ‘causing issues’ at the Abergavenny office, where some members of
staff had ‘entered into this individual enterprise’ while others hadn’t.
“It is not only a potential barrier to any proposals we have to change the way we work at the office but I
believe it is also costing us money as some of the postmen who deliver newspapers are unable
to complete their rounds without overtime,” said Mr Kelly.
“Having identified the delivery of newspapers against this background, it would not be right for me to ignore it.
I do understand that my decision will be disappointing and I have not taken it lightly, particularly for a rural
area. Nevertheless, I believe it is the right decision and indeed the only one I could take.”
A spokesman for Royal Mail confirmed no action was to be taken in any area other than Abergavenny,
where it is understood that between 40 and 50 deliveries have been taking place each day.
“We can’t condone our staff and vans being used for newspaper deliveries when as a business we are losing
more than £1 million a day - our postmen are not newspaper boys and girls and their job isn’t
delivering newspapers,” said the spokesman.
