Wiltshire Council is the first local authority to send its council tax bills via Dotpost, an innovative online system.

The service was recently launched by print and mail specialists, CFH Docmail.

Free Dotpost accounts are being offered to all Wiltshire residents, so they can benefit from free storage and delivery of documents, without the need for an envelope or a stamp.

Residents who sign up to Dotpost can also benefit from free conventional post items, with £5 free credit, topped up each month, when they open a Docmail account.

Dotpost is a secure online platform that allows users to store and ‘send’ documents quickly, easily and without charge.

Recipients simply log-in using a unique code sent to them and they can view, save and print the documents they need from their personal, secure Dotpost account. 

Dave Broadway, managing director of CFH Docmail, said: “We have all heard the about the price of stamps rising again – post is expensive and, for organisations such as Wiltshire Council, email is not secure or reliable.

"The Dotpost solution is an ideal way to deliver these documents securely, especially in the digital age.

"We believe that this way ‘sending’ documents – including invoices, bills, and statements – is a great alternative to print and post and it is, of course, much easier for consumers if they can store and view all their paperwork on one secure portal.”

Wiltshire Council has already seen over 1,500 new users register for the Dotpost service in the first few days.

The council issued around 200,000 council tax bills to residents offering the service.

Each bill included a personal sign-up code allowing that resident to create a Dotpost account.

Those that do sign up can receive their next bill from Wiltshire Council as an online document, saving the council a significant sum. Those who have registered may revert to paper bills if they prefer.

Mr Broadway said: “We expect Dotpost to become a vital means by which consumers can store and access important documents.

"Dotpost is available on most mobile devices, and will provide secure online access to key documents like for example a stored copy of your passport which you could in an emergency, as well as an increasing number of bills and communications from suppliers using the service.”

Sign up to Dotpost is currently by invitation only.

Wiltshire residents have until April 14 to create their account using the sign up code on their council tax bill. After that date, the code expires.