No Postcode change for L.F.E. - Submitted 18 Jun 09

The change of postcode to LE9 for Leicester Forest East appears to be dead and buried even though all the conditions set by Royal Mail were satisfied, including allowing the parish office on Kings Drive to be used as the sorting of the mail.

In 2005 Mr David Parsons, Kirby Muxloe & L.F.E. County Councillor along with the help of the parish council and residents raised a petiton to try and have Leicester Forest East on same LE9 postcode as Kirby Muxloe. Some five hundred signatures were collected and submitted to Roayal Mail at Shrewsbury.

Since then Mr Parsons had reported on the positve progress of negotiations with Royal Mail and all seemed promising however, at a recent L.F.E. Parish Council meeting held on 18th Jun 2009 at the parish hall Kings Drive Mr Parsons revealed that the Royal Mail had had a change of heart and L.F.E. would not now be receiving an LE9 post code after all.

Although Kirby Muxloe village was succesful in having a postcode change, formally LE3 3 and is now LE9 2 sharing a LE9 postcode with the likes of Stoney Stanton, Cosby, Huncote, Croft, Desford, Newbold Verdon, Kirkby Mallory, Earl Shilton, Barwell, Sapcote, Sutton in the Elms, Broughton Astley, Thurlaston and the benefits of a lower crime rate that in the eyes of insurers means less RISK and therefore lower premiums.

Leicester Forest East shares the LE3 3 postcode with Braunstone, Glenfield, New Parks, Groby Road (A50), Westcotes. There are some that may argue that this is a case of snobbishness and I would agree to some extent that it is however, if by having Royal Mail allowing a change of post code from LE3 to LE9 saves me even a few pennies (likely to be more like pounds) then I would suggest that being snobbish is not such a bad thing.

How is it possible that some residents that live on the same road have to pay higher premiums than their neighbours some 50 yards across the road?

To be continued.............

About Your Postcode. from a previous article in 2005
Postcodes were introduced in 1974 to aid mechanical sorting. Every house and business in the UK has a complete postal address that helps Royal Mail deliver mail quickly, accurately and cost effectively.

Insurance companies and others however, like to group areas together for business purposes. It is used in its short form as a selection for a host of reasons often to the disadvantage of individuals that can effect amongst other things the valuation of your house, the schools that your children may attend and the insurance premiums that you pay.

The exact location of your property for quotation purposes is not necessary and it suits businesses to group areas together and they do that by using only the first part of the post code. You may or may not be aware that the LE3 part of your post code is grouped together and considered the same post code as some areas of Leicester and you may find your premiums may be more expensive than your LE9 neighbours.

Below is a fictious example of a post code and my interpretation of how it is used by the Royal Mail.

An example LFE post code - LE3 9YZ
There are four parts to a post code.

• The first two letters used in our example LE is the postcode area and it identifies the main Royal Mail sorting office which will process the mail, in this case mail with an LE would go to a sorting office in Leicester.
  
• The second part, 3 is the postcode district and tells the sorting office which delivery office the mail should go to.
  
• The third part, 9 is the sector and is usually just one number. This tells the delivery office which local area or neighbourhood the mail should go to.
  
• The final part of the postcode YZ is the unit code which is always two letters. This identifies a group of around ten or more addresses and tells the delivery office which postal route (or walk) will deliver the item.
  
• You can find out yourself how many properties share your post code by visiting the Royal Mail site. where you will also find a more comprehensive explaination of how post codes are used.

The Royal Mail obviously have to identify your house to within a number of properties to enable the postman /woman to sort their mail round into delivery order. The same code is usually used for a small group of addresses so is not unique to every address but helps to pin-point exactly where the item of mail needs to go to.

Why change?

When you phone for insurance of any type the first thing you are asked for is your postcode LE3, even before your name or address. Your post code is like your DNA or identity card, you are stuck with it unless you move!

Some Kirby Muxloe residents in the ajoining streets to Leicester Forest East have recently been successful in having their post code changed from to LE3 to LE9.

In 2005 Mr David Parsons, Leicestershire County Councillor along with the help of the parish council and residents raised a petiton to try and have Leicester Forest East on same postcode as Kirby Muxloe.

Some five hundred signatures were collected and all waited with baitied breathe for the out comeater the likelihood of a change being made. The financial savings for residents in the parish if successful would obviously be welcomed.