Bath residents have for the first time received their annual council tax bills via a local postal delivery service that uses bicycles rather than vans.
Docmail Local Post, owned by Radstock-based regulated postal operator CFH, has just finished delivering 35,000 items to residents in BA1 and BA2 – entirely by bike.
The firm has been operating in Bath since last summer with Bath & North East Somerset Council among its customers. It also operates in Bristol and will be launching in Slough and Edinburgh over the next couple o
f months
Docmail Local Post postal services director Joe Broadway said: “This was a first for Bath. Our delivery team is becoming a regular site around the streets of the city as more and more businesses recognise the advantages of using a local service for their local mail.”
Docmail Local Post guarantees delivery within two working days. Mail is collected from local businesses free of charge and sorted at local distribution centres from where it is delivered.
CFH personalises, prints and mails all of Bath & North East Somerset Council’s council tax bills, as well as working with its revenues and benefits department to fulfil ongoing customer correspondence and payment reminders.
As one of the country’s leading secure printers, its factory is equipped to handle sensitive data such as cheques, bank statements and personal data for councils and the private sector throughout the UK.
Mr Broadway added: “By using this complete, local service, the council is able to generate considerable savings in postage costs, as well as provide an environmentally-friendly delivery service to residents in Bath.
“Our ongoing relationship with the council is a direct result of our commitment to quality, cost, lead times and customer service.
“Docmail Local Post is a postal service for companies who operate locally, and recognise the benefits of physical mail. The mail is collected, sorted then delivered all within the local area.
“With national postal charges soon to be increased again for businesses who use franking machines, we are pledging to keep our prices the same, so not only are we saving on carbon emissions, we are helping businesses keep costs down.”
