Related Articles
A council has apologised to around 100 taxpayers – after an A500 blunder left some of them out of pocket. Cheshire East Council sent the letter regarding its desire to turn the entire stretch of the A500 between the M6 roundabout at Barthomley and the Weston roundabout into a dual-carriageway as part of a £69 million scheme.
But it did not put enough postage on the A4 envelopes and residents had to pay Royal Mail the additional £1.50 to receive the letter. The blunder triggered a number of complaints.
Councillor Steve Edgar said: “This is ridiculous. Why is an A4 piece of paper in an A4 envelope with inadequate postage? Why couldn’t it just go out in a standard-sized envelope? I’ve had tens of phone calls off residents complaining about having to pay £1.50.”
Now the council has pledged to reimburse the affected residents.
A council spokesman said: “The council is aware of an issue regarding the incorrect amount of postage paid for letters sent out on behalf of the council concerning the proposed plans for the dualling of the A500. The council has now addressed this matter, re-issued the letters, and assured anyone who has paid the excess postage that they will be reimbursed.
“Around 100 letters were sent to residents, businesses, organisations and other parties who had commented on the planning application for this highway scheme. The intended recipients were parties with an indirect interest in the scheme and not those residents or property owners who had already received compulsory purchase notification via courier.
“The council apologises for any inconvenience caused by this unfortunate administrative error.”
If you’re on the lookout for local news, we have you covered with our FREE email newsletter – sign up in the box at the top of this story or click here.
