The importance of a reliable postal service

C.L.A.R.O´s latest press release, which we publish in full, offers some advice "to ensure delivery of what could be vital items of correspondence".

"People living in Orihuela Costa hardly need reminding of the importance of a reliable postal service.  Until 2008, there were no official addresses to which the post office (Correos) could direct deliveries and we had to use addresses decided by builders and developers. It was only after C.L.AR.O. complained that three quarters of voter application forms (more than 12,000) sent out to those on the padron in Orihuela Costa in 2006, using padron addresses,  had been returned as non-delivered that the Popular Party government in Orihuela introduced official, padron-based street names and house numbers. This was done in a chaotic manner without adequate information and was not co-ordinated with the post office which, over Christmas 2008, decided not to deliver post to old addresses.  C.L.A.R.O. has taken legal action against the post office for this arbitrary action.  So much for the past.

Since 2008, the importance of a reliable postal service has increased. Residents depend on the delivery of official post to their official addresses for communications from the Orihuela Town Hall, from the regional Valencia authorities concerning health care, from tax authorities, from Consulates for those who register their official addresses, from the post office concerning registered post or parcels and from authorities in their home countries.

Residents should also be able to rely on the postal service for delivery of personal mail although many go to the expense of renting a post box to ensure delivery.  This is a matter of choice but it is not sufficient to rent a post box for personal mail. You must be able to rely on delivery of official mail addressed to your official address.  

In addition to the above, two more concrete examples underline the importance of reliable postal deliveries to official addresses. The UK Department of Works and Pensions has started to use random checks of continued residence of pensioners living in Spain. Other countries employ the same method. If no other address has been declared, the DWP will use official addresses for this purpose. A reply is needed to maintain payment of state pensions.   

According to the latest information, from 1 May the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for non-Spanish residents will no longer be issued in Spain but will come from the country of origin – in the case of the UK, from the Department of Works and Pensions. This card is very useful and enables holders to obtain free health care when visiting the UK or other EU countries. The DWP will begin soon to write to UK nationals resident in Spain and in possession of an EHIC inviting them to apply for a UK issued EHIC. Again, unless another address has been declared, the DWP will use the official padron addresses which the Spanish authorities who previously issued the EHIC have presumably communicated to them.  It is essential that these important letters concerning state pensions and the European Health Insurance card arrive safely at official addresses.

The most recent example of the importance of a reliable postal service to deliver official mail is the decision in 2009 by the authorities in charge of the padron and voters lists (I.N.E.) to carry out regular verifications of the padron in order to remove those who may no longer be living at their last declared address – this is sometimes referred to as “la limpieza del padron”.   

Removal from the padron is a very serious matter and could lead to denial of free health care facilities in Spain and other important rights, including the right to vote. The regulation introducing the verification of continued validity of the padron and the related procedures is not entirely clear. One criterion which will almost certainly be used by the padron/electoral registration office to verify continued residence will be the return to them of undelivered voter application forms – we know that after the huge problems in 2006, well over a thousand voter application forms were returned undelivered in Orihuela Costa at the time of the European Parliament elections in 2009.

Another criterion for verifying continued residence will be resident certificates issued more than 5 years previously (although they have no date limit). When these and other tests of the state of activity of the padron justify it, the padron/electoral registration authorities will require Town Halls to check on the continued residence of individuals officially registered in their municipality.

One of the obvious ways of initiating this procedure would be by means of a letter from the Town Hall addressed to those concerned at their official addresses. Several procedures related to verification of continued residence and continued validity of the padron will therefore involve the use of official addresses and official mail.

Because of the increasing importance of a reliable postal service for official mail, we would urge all those registered on the padron in Orihuela Costa to take the following steps to ensure delivery of what could be vital items of correspondence:

•  Ask at the office of the Town Hall to update your padron and check the exact details of your official address for future use – this should “activate” the padron and may help avoid the hazards of the official process of verification. At the same time, if you have any doubt about being on the voters list, ask at the Town Hall for confirmation. If they are not able to tell you, complete a voter application form on the spot with your exact official address which will be provided by the Town Hall.  

•  If there are problems of delivery which are clearly the fault of the post office, make an official complaint, with proof (for example mail correctly addressed but returned to sender). Copies of official complaint forms are available in the C.L.A.R.O. office which can also help in their completion.

•  The problem of non-delivery may be caused by the location or condition of multiple mail boxes.  In this case, it is urgent to take this up with Presidents of communities and Administrators.  Multiple mail boxes should be placed outside communities to be able to be accessed by the postman who should be able to place mail in individual letter boxes. But sometimes these multiple mailboxes are placed inside communities to prevent vandalism and interference with contents of mail boxes.  It should be possible to organise multiple mailboxes in a way which ensures access by the postman and at the same time proper protection of mail. If multiple mailboxes need to be re-placed outside community boundaries, the Town Hall has, in the past, promised assistance.

We are aware that taking steps to ensure the reliability of the delivery of post to official addresses might involve a certain amount of inconvenience. We are convinced that this is preferable to the possible discovery, at some time in the future, that the non-delivery of a vital item of mail has resulted in very serious consequences, such as removal from the padron and loss of the related benefits of access to free health care, access to schools for children and the right to vote, the discontinuance of UK pensions, or failure to renew the European Health Insurance Card. The hassle is worth it.

C.L.A.R.O. will begin a programme of contacts with Administrators and Presidents of communities to urge them to take all necessary measures to ensure reliable postal deliveries.   Please contact us with any suggestions or requests for help".

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