Spelling of Aberdyfi/Aberdovey

Shaun Coster made this Freedom of Information request to Royal Mail Group Limited
This authority is not subject to FOI law, so is not legally obliged to respond (details).
This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was partially successful.

Dear Royal Mail Group Limited,

I would like to know the reason for the continued use of the bilingual name for Aberdyfi/Aberdovey as the post town despite the modern widespread practice of only using the Welsh spelling for both the village and community of Aberdyfi in English-language resources by the local councils, the Welsh Government, the BBC and the local media. When the official anglicisms for places like Tywyn and Porthmadog (Towyn and Portmadoc respectively) the post towns were changed accordingly which raises the question of whether whether the anglicised Aberdovey is still used by the UK Government. If this is in accordance with a UK Government policy, which might be different to the Welsh Government's policy, can you please quote the relevant text?

Yours faithfully,

Shaun Coster

irgt, Royal Mail Group Limited

Dear Shaun,

Thank you for your email in which you request " the reason for the continued use of the bilingual name for Aberdyfi/Aberdovey". You have requested this information under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Following the flotation of Royal Mail on the London Stock Exchange in October 2013, it is no longer subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Royal Mail was previously subject to the Act because it was wholly owned by the government. However, now that the government has sold its shares in Royal Mail, this is no longer the case. Therefore, we are no longer obliged to respond to requests for information under the terms of the FOI Act.

It is worth pointing out that Royal Mail only requires the correct building number and postcode to be able to deliver an item of mail. Further address information is helpful but an item will reach its destination when either version of the post town is used.

Yours sincerely

Emma Hardman
Information Rights & Governance Officer

Classified: RMG – Internal

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