Council Tax bills in Bath delivered by bike

Bath & North East Somerset has sought to minimise the cost of sending out Council Tax bills this year – by having them delivered by bike to 35,000 households in Bath.

According to the council, its new contract with Bristol-based mail firm CFH saves it £6,000 a year. CFH prints the bills, and uses its Docmail Local Post service to deliver to addresses within the BA1 and BA2 postcodes.

A spokesman for Bath & North East Somerset Council told the newspaper: "The council is continually looking for new ways to reduce both printing and postage costs, take advantage of more environmentally-friendly services and improve customer services for residents."

Joe Broadway, Docmail Local Post’s postal services director, added: "This is a first for Bath, with 35,000 items being delivered to those residents in BA1 and BA2 by bike.

“Our delivery team is becoming a regular sight around the streets of the city, as more and more businesses recognise the advantages of using a local service for their local mail," he went on.

“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 Bath & North East Somerset 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.

He added, “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.”

Besides Bath, Docmail also operates in Bristol at the moment, and plans to start operating in Slough and Edinburgh.