Backwards Forward Planning

It seems that, by virtue of submitting comments on Swindon Borough Council’s Central Area Action Plan and Core Strategy, I am now on their Forward Planning Group’s mailing list. Today a letter dropped through my letterbox informing me that they have adopted a supplementary planning document on Backland and Infill Development and are now consulting on another supplementary planning document on Swindon Sustainable Building Design and Construction. Thrilling, no? Not just the letter either, but also copies of the statutory notices for both of the said acts, each printed on a separate piece of A4 paper. Duplex printing is, apparently, an alien concept at the council. As is folding paper to fit it into a smaller envelope, thus ensuring that they (and thus me through my Council tax) have paid for this to be delivered as a Royal Mail large letter, an extra 14p for each of these letters they sent. As I’ve never put pen to paper to the council’s forward planners, only digit to keyboard, the real puzzle is why they did not email all this stuff, a saving of 36p just on postage, of several sheets of paper, and matching my chosen method of communication. Deleting an email is just so much easier than putting all this paper in the recycling box.

Swindon Borough Council: a council for the 20th Century.