So, what's the story at the Headington sorting office?

7.05.59pm BST (GMT +0100) Sun 15th May 2005

Stephen Tall (right), with colleagues David Rundle and Steve Goddard (with beard) outside the Lime Walk sorting office

Most Headington residents now know about the plan to shut the Lime Walk sorting office, which the Royal Mail claims will improve the service it can offer local customers. (If you don't know about this story, please visit www.stephentall.org.uk/news/40.html for the background.)

My colleague David Rundle and I have kept in touch with Michael Dalton, the Royal Mail's Head of External Relations, to ensure the needs of Headington residents are not forgotten. For instance, Royal Mail appeared surprised to learn there was no direct bus from Headington to the Ledgers Close sorting office, in Littlemore, which will now be the main depot.

There is also concern that the local post offices in the Headington and Marston area - where residents will be able also to collect their deliveries - simply are not big enough to cope with the parcels and packages that will need to be stored there.

We have now received the latest update from Mr Dalton on the Royal Mail's revised plans:

"There has now been some progress with the project and it is likely that we will be relocating the delivery office during June. We are not however yet in a position to formally confirm this - or indeed start the process of communicating the news to our customers and the local community. As soon as we are in a position to be able to do this, I will contact you.

"As part of our detailed planning for the move, we will be discussing directly with the relevant Subpostmasters the option of local Post Office branches handling 'local collect' items - this in turn giving them new sources of revenue."

So there we have it. We'll keep up the pressure, and keep you posted.