Services

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Central Despatch is the Core Service for mail services for the County Council. We receive all incoming mail for County Hall and sort in to the various departments for delivery each morning. We also frank and send out all Royal Mail letters and Courier items for County Hall departments daily.

We are a very busy department and work hard to ensure your mail is franked by us for Royal Mail or Courier collection when you request. We frank and post out approximately one million letters, excluding parcels and packets, a year. Large bulk postings should be pre-booked with us in advance. Please contact Phil Mahoney on County Hall ext. 5048 or email PMahoney@somerset.gov.uk for further information.

Click for full details of the Royal Mail Pricing in Proportion (PiP) service and new postal charges that is fully effective from 21 August 2006. (opens in new window)

Our messenger services collect and deliver mail throughout County Hall four times a day. It helps us a great deal if mail can be sent to us regularly and not left until the end of the day if possible.

We also arrange a daily Courier collection and delivery service to the following external offices:

The Holway Centre
Education Youth Service - Weir Lodge
Taunton Deane Borough Council Offices

We have internal collection points for the following departments:

Somerset Fire & Rescue Service Civil Contingencies
Avon & Somerset Police Authority and Police Stations
Bridgwater Library Headquarters & Libraries
Atkins, Taunton Office
SCS - Broughton House
Somerset Health Authority & Hospitals
Somerset Museums Service
Somerset Archive & Records Service
Southwest One
Safety Camera Partnership

We bulk post out daily to the following:

Mendip District Council
Sedgemoor District Council
South Somerset District Council
(NB we do not bulk post to SSDC area offices)
Taunton Deane Borough Council
West Somerset District Council
Exmoor National Park
Dillington Advertising & Dillington House
Connexions Somerset, Taunton Office
Magistrates Court, Taunton
County Court, Shire Hall

We provide the daily mail service for all County Council Elected Members. Please ensure that any mail for members is clearly indicated and is kept separate to other letters for franking, and that this is available for franking by 4pm to meet the last collection.

Confidential and Sensitive Mail Items

Royal Mail Special Delivery or Courier Services are recommended as the best method for delivery of confidential or sensitive mail items.

These services provide guaranteed delivery with insurance and a signature for proof of delivery.

Please contact Phil Mahoney on ext. 5048 to arrange any of these services. Please ensure that you clearly mark any packages requiring these services ensure that they are sent as required, as unless indicated otherwise, mail will be sent by standard Royal Mail or Courier Services.

Opening Times

We are open from 8am - 5pm.

Royal Mail franking services are available Monday to Friday, from 9am - 4:30pm. Please ensure that your mail for franking clearly indicates the following:

Department to be charged
Second Class or First Class

All mail for frank-up will be sent Second Class unless this is stated and authorised otherwise.