Information on Postbox Data

Dear Royal Mail Group,

I would like to enquire about the data you hold on the post-boxes
you operate. I understand from previous FOI requests that you hold
a central list (which you regard as "definitive source data for
Postbox Collection Plate times") presumably in an electronic
database. Please provide details of this database, including the
software / version / format used and a description of each of the
fields of information stored for each box. Where codes are used to
store information, I would like the specification for / meaning of
these codes.

In particular, could you explain the allowable formats of the box
number: I believe that the first half is a postal district, and the
second part is a 1-4 digit number. Is it possible for the number to
begin with a zero digit? Are any alphabetical suffixes ever added
to the end of the number (for instance to distinguish two
neighbouring boxes)?

I have been analysing the central list you provided in response to
a previous FOI request, and believe I have found a number of errors
in the data it contains. This includes boxes that appear twice
under different numbers, other errors such as invalid box numbers
and postal districts that don't match the location description, and
boxes that appear to be missing from the list. I'm sure you would
be interested in correcting some of these problems, so could you
please provide the contact details for the person who manages the
database.

From my own experience, it would also appear that a small number of
boxes may have the wrong collection plates fixed to them, possibly
resulting in incorrect collection time information. Some boxes also
have missing plates, or out-of-date plates containing an old style
reference number (eg "TWR 012"). To whom should these issues be
reported?

Given the above problems with the master list and local plates, I
am also interested in what additional / duplicate information may
be held by local offices (eg those who are responsible for
maintaining and collecting mail from each box). I'm unsure of the
exact way the Royal Mail is structured, but I'm guessing things may
correlate with postal districts and/or sectors. I would like to
know what local information on post-boxes and their locations is
likely to be held by local offices, in what form it is likely to be
held (eg computer database, paper records), and how those offices
are organised (eg by postal district).

Yours faithfully,

Robert Whittaker