WARRINGTON REGISTER OF ELECTORS 2011

[Pedro]

Sometime during my absence from home, between 2 p.m and 8 p.m yesterday, Saturday, 14th August, an envelope was delivered through my front door - a Postage Paid envelope from Warrington Borough Council's Electoral Registration Officer containing the 2011 registration form for my address. I have never in recent years received a second/afternoon delivery of mail either on a Saturday or indeed any other day of the week here in Higher Walton area. Unless Royal Mail has in fact started a second delivery Saturday service then the envelope must have been delivered by some Council employee or courier service - at a cost in addirion to the Royal Mail Postage Paid licence charge !! Are we all engaged in cost cutting or is local government hell bent on showing two fingers to central government ??

[Dizzy]

..... or maybe it was posted through the wrong letterbox and a neighbour put it through your door later in the day

 

We sometimes have a delivery later on in the afternoon rather than ealier and I guess that may be due to the postman having extra rounds to do or most post than usual so a delivery after 2 isn't that odd

[Pedro]

Yes Dizzy, I did think it might have been an incorrect delivery but unlikely as our Post Man Steve is ultra reliable. Since my original post I have spoken with neighbours and it appears that the Electoral Registration envelopes (postage prepaid) were delivered in the Walton area around 7 p.m Saturday - presumably by some WBC employee on double or triple time. I will seek some clarification on cost of this exercise under F.O.I.

[basicfags]

mine was delivered on a saturday afternoon by a council employee, and i thought it was a bit strange myself. another waste of money paying twice for the same thing.

[Dizzy]

Maybe it is cheaper to pay a group of lower paid council workers overtime or a bonus to hand deliver them in sectioned areas than it is to pay postage costs on 1000's of letters...... or maybe they used their support group of leaflet distributors who deliver their election/party material to all areas

[basicfags]

like you said earlier though, the envelopes were stamped/franked or whatever its called so had they paid postage as well !!!!

[asperity]

The envelopes are postage paid. Does the postage actually get paid if they aren't sent through Royal Mail though?

[Dizzy]

Never thought about the fact that the envelopes say 'postage paid' on them.

 

Just looked on Royal Mails website and it does offer 'special' rates for local government and other bodies but doesn't say how much or how it works.

 

However.... I noticed the envelope inside mine for returning the form says 'Business Reply Plus 2 ' on it and that IS listed on the web site so if I send ours back to the council via the post they will have to pay 24p.

 

I usually do it over the phone though via the 0800 freephone number so maybe I am actually saving them some money.... or am I ??

 

How much does it cost the council/government or whoever for me to phone the freephone number as they are the ones who pay for it.

 

Maybe I will do it by the third option ie over the internet as I am on it anyway... do they get charged if I do it that way