HOUSEHOLDERS in Thirsk can expect a later post delivery than usual next month. But the move is designed to create a better delivery service, not worse.

Local businesses though, will get their mail before 9am each day. There will be no second delivery to either homes or businesses.

Royal Mail's national delivery pilot scheme starts at Thirsk delivery office on Monday, August 5. It will cover the postcode area YO7.

The pilot scheme, announced in June, is part of holding company Consignia's three-year plan to return to profitability.

Thirsk is one of 14 areas in the UK exploring new ways to boost postal efficiency and to help improve the quality of service for first class mail received the next working day.

Valuable operational experience will be gained from these pilots ahead of a planned national roll-out later in the year. These new arrangements will reduce delivery costs by providing a single delivery, six days a week.

Royal Mail will save about £350m each year by removing the second delivery most urban addresses currently receive. The second delivery accounts for about 20pc of Royal Mail's delivery costs, yet second delivery items for individual addresses are rare - the vast majority of mail (more than 96pc) arrives at Royal Mail offices in time for first delivery.

Those customers who normally receive large amounts of mail (about 20 items daily) will continue to receive an early delivery before 9am each day.

The majority of other customers will receive their post between 9am and lunchtime.

Customers whose deliveries might be affected will be contacted before the pilot is introduced. To help with its smooth introduction, changes will be made on a phased basis and customers will be notified before their phase starts.

A downside will be a reduction in Royal Mail jobs as a result of these changes to delivery arrangements. Nationally this will result in 17,000 jobs becoming redundant over three years. This figure is included in the 30,000 job losses Consignia has been forecasting for the next three years, but no local detail is available so far.

If householders still want to receive an early morning delivery they can opt to pay for it. Royal Mail is developing a range of new delivery products and services in these pilots for customers receiving lower volumes of mail who still wish to receive an early morning delivery.

These products are designed to offer greater choice and enable Royal Mail to tailor services closely to customer needs and lifestyles. In the pilot areas, customers can opt for early delivery between 7am and 9am. The price for this service, called Start Time in the pilots, will be just over £14 per week.

Alternatively, customers will be able to collect their own mail from the delivery office by arrangement, from 0830, free-of-charge. This will be called Mail Collect in the pilots.

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