Christmas information - posting dates

These are the last posting dates if you want your UK post to arrive before Christmas:

Wednesday 20 December - 2nd Class and 2nd Class Signed For
Thursday 21 December - Special Delivery Guaranteed
Thursday 21 December - 1st Class and 1st Class Signed For
Friday 22 December - Special Delivery Guaranteed Saturday Delivery

You can find dates for other services on the Royal Mail's website

Lifeline for local Post Offices

Post offices in towns and villages across South Gloucestershire were thrown a lifeline in December by local MP and pensions minister, Steve Webb.

One of the major items of ‘over-the-counter’ business for small sub post offices is the payment of pensions and benefits, particularly to people using the special “Post Office card account”. This account is accessed using a plastic card and PIN number and was set up some years ago particularly for those for whom a traditional bank account was not suitable. However, the contract to provide these accounts was due to expire in March 2015 and there were concerns that if it was not renewed it could result in a major loss of business to the post office network. But on 16th December Steve Webb told MPs that a new seven-year deal has been agreed between the Government and Post Office Limited which will provide a long-term guarantee of business for local sub post masters.

Commenting on the announcement, Steve Webb said, “I have always fought hard to support local town and village post offices across my constituency, so it was great to be able to use my role as a minister to make sure that the Post Office Card Account is continued for at least another seven years. This means convenience for local pensioners and others who want to use the post office and a boost for local postmasters who had told me of their concerns if the service were to be ended.”

The news has been welcomed by local sub postmasters, including Sue Baines of Cromhall post office who said, “The Post Office Card Account is well used by many pensioners who come in to my post office. I am delighted to hear that it is going to be continuing, as many local people have no other place where they can access their cash easily and with privacy as in a local post office”.

In addition to the handling fee which postmasters receive for each transaction, post offices and shops also benefit from the increased ‘footfall’ as people spend some of the cash which they have withdrawn in the local shop, helping to keep them open.

Christmas opening times

Local MP Steve Webb has sent out the following useful round-up of local Christmas opening times:

Constituency Office of Steve Webb MP - Opening Hours

The office will be open as usual over the holiday period, with the exception of Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and 2nd January. You can contact Steve on 01454 322100 or email steve@stevewebb.org.uk.

Christmas Posting Dates

The last posting dates for Christmas are as follows:
(It's already too late for 2nd class post)
Saturday 20 December - 1st Class and Royal Mail Signed For®
Monday 22 December - Parcelforce Worldwide 48 hours delivery
Tuesday 23 December - Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed®

South Glos Council Services

One Stop Shops

One Stop Shops will be closed from Christmas eve afternoon (from 1pm) and on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and 2 January.

Recycling and waste collections

Recycling centres

All sites are open as usual, apart from 25 December to 28 December and 1 January.

Christmas collections

Bin collections will continue as normal, with the exception of Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day. You will still have the usual amount of collections over Christmas, but the days might change. You can also check the dates using the Council’s collection date checker.

Recycling your real Christmas tree

There are several options to dispose of your real Christmas tree.

a) Using the garden waste service

If you have subscribed to the garden waste service you can put it in your green bin, or alternatively you can purchase a garden waste sack for £2 from your nearest library or Country Stores at 48 High Street Marshfield SN14 8LP. You don’t need to worry about the cutting the tree to fit it in the sack.

b) Taking it to a recycling centre

You can recycle your tree at one of the four Sort It centres

Train times over the holiday period

Network Rail will be conducting essential engineering works over the Christmas period.  Details of changes to the usual schedule are as follows:

Christmas Eve

Timings of trains will start to change from 1700 across the network, and from 1500 in the London and Thames Valley area. The last train will leave Paddington before 2130.

Christmas Day and Boxing Day

No scheduled train services.

Saturday 27 December

Local services into London will start from around 1100 because of work in the Hayes and Harlington area, and long distance services into and out of London will be limited. We are advising customers to use other routes where possible, or to travel after 1100.  Tickets will be valid on other routes.

Saturday 27 December – Sunday 4 January

A reduced timetable will operate and diversions will be in place. Journey times may take longer than normal.

First Great Western have set out the changes in detail for each route on their website: www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Christmas2014

Emergency Pharmacy Opening Times in South Gloucestershire

Pharmacy opening times for the December and January Bank Holidays 2014/15. 

Asda Pharmacy, Craven Way, Longwell Green, BS30 7DY
Tel: 0117 3012810
Thursday 25th December: closed
Friday 26th December: 09:00 - 18:00
Thursday 1st January: 10:00 - 16:00

*Asda Pharmacy, Highwood Lane, Patchway, BS34 5TL
Tel: 0117 3172410
Thursday 25th December: closed
Friday 26th December: 09:00 - 18:00
Thursday 1st January: 10:00 - 16:00

Boots Pharmacy, Unit 1, Willow Brook Centre, Bradley Stoke Way, Bradley Stoke,  BS32 8EF
Tel: 01454 202327
Thursday 25th December: closed
Friday 26th December: 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 1st January: closed

Boots Pharmacy, 116, The Mall, Cribbs Causeway, Patchway, BS34 5UP
Tel: 0117 9509744
Thursday 25th December: closed
Friday 26th December: 08:30 - 18:00
Thursday 1st January: closed

Boots Pharmacy, Unit 1a, Emersons Green Retail Centre, Emerson’s Green, BS16 7AE
Tel: 0117 9575893
Thursday 25th December: closed
Friday 26th December: 09:00 - 18:00
Thursday 1st January: 10:00 - 17:00

*Boots Pharmacy, Unit D, Gallagher Retail Park, Longwell Green, BS30 7DY
Tel: 0117 9678963
Thursday 25th December: closed
Friday 26th December: 07:30 - 11:30 and 12:00 - 00:00
Thursday 1st January: 07:30 - 11:30 and 12:00 - 00:00

Boots Pharmacy, 15-17, North Walk, Yate, BS37 4AP
Tel: 01454 312589
Thursday 25th December: closed
Friday 26th December: 08:30 - 17:30
Thursday 1st January: closed

Bradley Stoke Pharmacy, Brook Way,  Bradley Stoke,  BS32 9DS
Tel: 01454 612855
Thursday 25th December: 10:00 - 12:00
Friday 26th December: closed
Thursday 1st January: closed

Frome Valley Pharmacy, Frome Valley Medical Centre, 2 Court Road, Frampton Cotterell BS36 2DE
Tel: 01454 773755
Thursday 25th December: 12:00 - 14:00
Friday 26th December: closed
Thursday 1st January: 12:00 - 14:00

Sainsbury's Pharmacy, Emersons Way, Emerson’s Green, BS16 7AE
Tel: 0117 9569849
Thursday 25th December: closed
Friday 26th December: 10:00 - 17:00
Thursday 1st January: 10:00 - 17:00

Sainsbury's Pharmacy, Fox Den Road, Filton, Stoke Gifford, BS34 8SS
Tel: 0117 9793412
Thursday 25th December: closed
Friday 26th December: 10:00 - 17:00
Thursday 1st January: 10:00 - 15:00

Westbourne Road Pharmacy, 26, Westbourne Road, Downend, BS16 6RX
Tel: 0117 9565836
Thursday 25th December: 14:00 - 16:00
Friday 26th December: closed
Thursday 1st January: closed
*These pharmacies have a specialist medicines service.

Parents encouraged to apply for a school place online/in person due to post strikes

Due to the planned postal strikes by Royal Mail workers next week, South Gloucestershire Council is strongly advising any parents who have yet to submit an application for a school place to do so online or in person.

The closing date for the return of applications for primary and secondary school places starting in September 2010 is on Friday 23 October at 4.30pm.

As a precaution and to avoid any unnecessary concerns over whether a postal application will reach the authority in time, parents are advised to...

• Apply online at www.southglos.gov.uk/admissions
• Hand deliver the admission application form to the Student Access and Support Team, South Gloucestershire Council, Department for Children and Young People, Riverside Court, Bowling Hill, Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire, BS37 6JX.
• Or hand deliver the admission application form to any South Gloucestershire Council one stop shop at the following locations:

Kingswood Civic Centre, Civic Centre, High Street, Kingswood  BS15 9TR.

Thornbury Council Offices, Castle Street, Thornbury BS35 1HF.

Yate Shopping Centre, Kennedy Way, Yate BS37 4DQ.

Parents who are unable to complete the application form online or by hand should contact the Children and Young People’s Information Service as soon as possible by calling 01454 868008.

Latest information about the strike and how it affects the South West available on the Royal Mail website

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Cutting out the junk mail

Cutting out junk mail can save you time and help the environment. To cut down on addressed items, you can sign up with the Mailing Preference Service. For unaddressed items delivered by the Royal Mail, see the information on their website. For other unaddressed items, see the Direct Marketing Association's website.

Closure dates announced for Post Offices

Closure dates have been announced for two of our local post offices. The PO counter in Station Road, Yate (Tesco Express) will close at 1pm on September 5th, and Old Sodbury's PO counter in the village shop will close on September 4th.

Obviously the Old Sodbury closure will have a major effect on the village, although the shop will try to manage without the PO facility.

Meanwhile the Station Road closure will have a major effect on the large number of elderly people in the area - not everyone can get to the Shopping Centre easily.

It's clear that the Post Office takes very little notice of objections made during their "consultation process". Community concerns don't count.

As we've commented before, how long will it be before they want to shut Chipping Sodbury, or Abbotswood, or North Road? The only language they seem to understand is profitability, including the share of central costs that they load onto each location. The Post Office's message to us is simple - use it or lose it.

Last Post for Post Offices

The Post Office have announced the results of their "consultation" about closing 29 post offices in the Greater Bristol area. Surprise, surprise - all 29 will be shut!

In our area this means Tesco Express Station Road and Old Sodbury. So people will be travelling to post offices a long way away, and standing in the long queues at Yate Post Office.

Steve Webb told the Gazette "The depressing thing about the whole consultation process was that we always knew that if we got the post office to change their mind about one of the offices on their list they would simply substitute another one.

"As soon as the government decided that 2,500 offices had to go, the die was cast."

Which ones will go on the next round, we wonder? How long before they want to shut Chipping Sodbury, or Abbotswood, or North Road?

Post Office closures condemned

At a well attended public meeting in Yate Parish Hall last Friday, Steve Webb MP heard local residents' concerns about the proposed closures of local post offices. In our area Station Road (Tesco) post office is threatened, and a little further afield Old Sodbury and Tytherington post offices are on the closure list as well.

These are just three of thousands of post offices at risk across the country. Elderly people from the Cranleigh Court area told the Yate meeting that they are very concerned. It's not just a fair walk to the main post office in the shopping centre - there are also frequent long queues.

Steve Webb said: ""There are real practical problems for local people - especially those who are elderly or disabled - if they are forced to use more distant post offices which can sometimes have very long queues".

There is a more detailed report of the meeting on Steve Webb's website, and Steve has also set up a special local "Save Our Post Offices" campaign website that explains how YOU can help campaign to keep our post offices.

Station Road Post Office to be scrapped

Although the official list doesn't come out until Tuesday, it is now clear that the post office in Station Road, Yate, is on the list to be axed. It is among nearly 30 post offices across the former Avon area to be closed by Royal Mail (for which read the Government)

Another local post office to go is the village post office in Old Sodbury. Together with the one that closed at Brimsham Park when Tesco took over, it means that we will have lost three of our local post offices in four or five years. Nationally 2500 are targeted by the current round of closures.

Which post offices could go in the next round? Abbotswood? North Road? Chipping Sodbury?

Come and join the queues at the main Yate Shopping Centre office. (Can we even assume that this one is safe?)

Steve Webb's website has more details - join our campaign to stop the post office closures.

Post early for, umm, Tuesday?

Make the most of this coming Sunday's post collection - it's the last one. The Post Office is stopping Sunday collections from the 30th September. They're stopping Bank Holiday collections too.

And they're even considering stopping Saturday deliveries.

Suppose they do that. If you post something late on a Thursday evening, first class, it might be delivered on the following Monday (or Tuesday if you're unlucky). Not first thing, either - remember that the post delivery is later nowadays. So it could take four or nearly five days, first class, even if it's not a Bank Holiday weekend.

Apparently all this is to save money, because of the competition from texting, email and mobile phones. But it's not exactly going to encourage people to send letters, is it?