The outgoing president of Bradford Chamber of Commerce has a new challenge - to improve the region's postal service.

Judith Donovan has been appointed chairman of Bradford-based Postwatch Northern England, a new government-appointed group set up to hold postal firms to account.

Ms Donovan will chair a regional committee of 12 members in her new role of monitoring Consignia (Post Office's new name) and others, now the sector is deregulated.

Postwatch NE will be the consumer watchdog for postal services stretching from Cumbria in the north, down through Yorkshire and Manchester to north Cheshire.

Ms Donovan said: "I'm very pleased that Bradford Chamber has won the tender to run the Northern region's Postwatch. It's created four jobs and given some much needed prestige to the city.

"We very much hope that Postwatch will improve the postal service throughout our area, for business and domestic customers, because Consignia aren't performing very well in many areas at present.

"Even though it is a business it hasn't been run very much like a business, but that's all about to change and we will insist on improvements being made wherever they can."

Ms Donovan, who runs DIY Direct Marketing, will be supported by a permanent secretariat based at Phoenix House, Bradford, under the leadership of Chamber chief executive, Sandy Needham.

The team will handle written complaints from customers and field enquiries received on the new Postwatch NE helpline number, (08456) 013 265.

Ms Donovan is confident the new organisation can deliver.

She said: "As a regionally-based council we will be able to provide that essential local knowledge and expertise which will enable us to deal with local issues."