Diminishing Mail Service?

Dear Editor

I attach a photo taken today showing the notice attached to the Village Hall postbox. This shows that the last collection will soon be too early to post anything during the day, thus making 'first class' second class, and 'second class' third.

The Royal Mail statement supporting these changes states:

"We will ensure that there is a late posting box within half a mile of each postbox that moves to earlier collections. There will be clear sign-posting for customers on the relevant postboxes indicating where their nearest late posting box is. "

I haven't checked all the Haddenham boxes but the Fort End and Fire Station boxes bear similar notices. The Post Office box does not, which presumably means this will be the late(!) posting box — unavoidable if the Post Office is to function — but that will be more than half a mile from, say, the box at the south end of Sheerstock.

And, the notices refer the viewer to the plate for the location of the latest collection time for the area which is said to be the Aylesbury Delivery Office which could well be wrong twice, i.e. (1) if I am correct the local Post Office will be the latest and (2) Thame is nearer than Aylesbury anyway!

Following the loss of the 'Beehive' collection box, elderly residents will again be mostly hit.

David Morris