The Post Office is not the authority on political or cultural geography. Bootle, which I consider a part of North Liverpool is its own postal town. Further north, you have Formby, a place I don't consider Liverpool. The Post Office puts it under Liverpool as its post town though. Weird stuff.
Royal Mail is not the authority on geography, but it is the authority on postal adresses!
Although Royal Mail continues to use the term, post towns are no a bit of an outdated concept. Centralisation has meant that a 'post town' has little relevance these days. As tbtc has said, they are not really required as long as the postcode and house numbe ris present, but they do make thigns a little easier if an item has to be sorted by hand.
it has always been Royal Mail's peculiar take on it.
Correct. Royal Mail is only interested ing etting the mail delivered to the right place as efficiently as possible.
But in my example (the 16-25 Railcard website), it translates a Rochdale postcode to Greater Manchester. If it was on Royal Mail rules it would have been Lancashire.
Counties and post towns are no longer used to determine where somewhere is for postal purposes. In reality, an item for Rochdale would go through an enormous mail centre which handles mail from a wide area, before being taken to the local delivery office.
Even back in 1988, when I started, a second class letter posted in Fishguard for Haverfordwest would be taken up to Swansea, sorted, and then sent back to west wales.
I think that centralisation of this nature, which has affected so many aspects of our lives, is just as much to blame for a loss of identity as replacing trains with trams!
