Campaign to save Royal Mail delivery offices "not over"

7:00pm Tuesday 11th December 2012 in Local News By Emma Thomas

CAMPAIGNERS say the fight to keep delivery offices open is not over.

Battle-worn protesters are steeling themselves to fight Royal Mail to the bitter end after it announced Leigh, Shoebury, Great Wakering, Canewdon and Rochford offices would close next year.

Shoebury and Great Wakering will close in February, Leigh on March 4 and Rochford and Canewdon later in March.

Carole Mulroney, chairman of Leigh Town Council, said they will continue to make residents voices heard.

She said: “We have got a meeting set up this week (10) which was already booked before the announcement.

“I don’t see why we should give up. The office isn’t closed yet as far as I am concerned while it is still there there is still room to talk.”

The Labour Party in Rochford have also expressed their anger at Royal Mail’s decision to shut the sorting offices in Rochford and Great Wakering without asking residents about their views.

Jerry Gibson, who is standing for the party in the Rochford South ward in the Essex County Council elections, said people deserved better treatment.

He said: “There’s no consideration of what local residents want or need. Vulnerable people living in these communities the elderly and disabled, as well as businesses and those without access to transport, depend on the services at these sorting offices. Royal Mail have paid no attention to these needs - they haven’t even bothered to discuss them.”

Royal Mail spokesperson Morag Turnbull said the company was dealing with less mail and had to “modernise” its operations.

She said: “The consolidation of the five Essex delivery offices into our state-of-the-art mail processing unit in Southend will help to place the business on a sound, secure and stable footing. There will be no change to the delivery services we provide six-days a week to customers in the Southend area.

"These relocations are a commercial business decision. Royal Mail does issue information to stakeholders and all customers before any changes to our mail operation take place.

"We met with Southend to keep them informed of our plans and we have written to other stakeholders in this area. We will be writing to customers and stakeholders four to six weeks prior to any changes happening."

 

SOUTHEND Council has written to Royal Mail to fight for delivery offices in the borough.

All four of the council leaders, Tory Nigel Holdcroft, Lib Dem Graham Longley, Labour’s Ian Gilbert and Independent Martin Terry have joined with Chief Executive Rob Tinlin to write to company boss Moya Green.

In the strongly-worded letter, they raise concerns about traffic problems around Southend’s busy Short Street junction.

It says: “We were advised you have no plans to enlarge the customer car park. We find this unacceptable, for your customers, but also for the likely impact on the surrounding road network.

“Short Street is currently a restricted parking street and provides access to the main bus depot and, more importantly, the town’s ambulance station. Any excess demand from your customers on your car park has the the risk of illegal and potentially dangerous parking on street.

“We seek your risk assessment on this issue and your plans to avoid such circumstances.”

Royal Mail also told the council it plans to put in one extra customer desk and extra staff to try and battle the already long queues at the site.

Comments (9)

7:08pm Tue 11 Dec 12

Brunning999 says...

The Royal Mail has gone or going so what chance of this.

What is sad is that someone is appears to be deliberately providing bad service.

Parcels and Recorded delivery letters often require a sorting office visit and
Ours shuts at 1pm and does not open Saturdays! IS THAT A JOKE?
The Royal Mail has gone or going so what chance of this. What is sad is that someone is appears to be deliberately providing bad service. Parcels and Recorded delivery letters often require a sorting office visit and Ours shuts at 1pm and does not open Saturdays! IS THAT A JOKE? Brunning999

7:37pm Tue 11 Dec 12

Nebs says...

Perhaps the council spy car could follow the collection vans when they do a round emptying boxes. Should be good for 50 or more fines in a day. Then do a deal, they can park up if they keep the offices open.
Perhaps the council spy car could follow the collection vans when they do a round emptying boxes. Should be good for 50 or more fines in a day. Then do a deal, they can park up if they keep the offices open. Nebs

8:50pm Tue 11 Dec 12

Old Boy says...

They say it's not cost effective. They will be paying mileage. So could be more money outlayed. They put the stamps up to offset all these things.
They say it's not cost effective. They will be paying mileage. So could be more money outlayed. They put the stamps up to offset all these things. Old Boy

10:53pm Tue 11 Dec 12

pete and dave says...

I think its all part of their national modernisation agreement programme being swept out across the whole country which the postmen all voted to accept last year and got £1000 payments when implemented so I am told.

I seem to remember hearing Mr Molloy on the radio saying they had just spent £1.5m on new sorting machines and he was safeguarding the jobs of 124 postmen by centralising everything to Short Street office which I expect is half empty anyway after their post sorting operations moved to Chelmsford earlier this year and he was going to see if he could use three existing small sub post offices within village shops to take undelivered mail from where people could collect it subject to negotitions. The council are just wasting their time talking as the five offices will close and be sold off, a bit like the planned police station closures across the area.
I think its all part of their national modernisation agreement programme being swept out across the whole country which the postmen all voted to accept last year and got £1000 payments when implemented so I am told. I seem to remember hearing Mr Molloy on the radio saying they had just spent £1.5m on new sorting machines and he was safeguarding the jobs of 124 postmen by centralising everything to Short Street office which I expect is half empty anyway after their post sorting operations moved to Chelmsford earlier this year and he was going to see if he could use three existing small sub post offices within village shops to take undelivered mail from where people could collect it subject to negotitions. The council are just wasting their time talking as the five offices will close and be sold off, a bit like the planned police station closures across the area. pete and dave

7:12am Wed 12 Dec 12

Ian P says...

I have read that the sorting offices they want to close are too large for the current levels of mail being handled. How about relocating to smaller premises in the areas of the existing sorting offices and selling off the larger buildings? Result no disruption to current services for locals and money in the bank.
I have read that the sorting offices they want to close are too large for the current levels of mail being handled. How about relocating to smaller premises in the areas of the existing sorting offices and selling off the larger buildings? Result no disruption to current services for locals and money in the bank. Ian P

8:14am Wed 12 Dec 12

Yachtsman says...

So Southend B C are getting involved with 2 of the Offices in their Area - What are Rochford D C doing as 3 are in their area and this distance to travel from Cananewdon Gt Wakering & Rochord to Short Street are greater and the Bus Services non exsistant.- The Staff on the Counter at Short Street are conspicous by there absence - Also try ringing them normal waiting time 10 - 15 minutes before you get an answer.
So Southend B C are getting involved with 2 of the Offices in their Area - What are Rochford D C doing as 3 are in their area and this distance to travel from Cananewdon Gt Wakering & Rochord to Short Street are greater and the Bus Services non exsistant.- The Staff on the Counter at Short Street are conspicous by there absence - Also try ringing them normal waiting time 10 - 15 minutes before you get an answer. Yachtsman

9:03am Wed 12 Dec 12

perini says...

Simple solution - use other postal services/courier services. A lot are considerably cheaper and deliver the service you pay for!
Simple solution - use other postal services/courier services. A lot are considerably cheaper and deliver the service you pay for! perini

11:24am Thu 13 Dec 12

Ivanna Goodhump says...

It's a done deal.

RM are also scrapping (bar a few spaces) the large staff carpark at the rear of the site on Short Street. So you will have an extra 100+ staff fighting over the front carpark which is almost full all day anyway.

Any customers wishing to collect a parcel will not be able to park.

Any idea that RM care about their customers is easily dispelled by the current arrangements to collect parcels at Short Street. They could have easily expanded the counter or even laid on more staff but they prefer to make you queue for 20 mins in the cold.
It's a done deal. RM are also scrapping (bar a few spaces) the large staff carpark at the rear of the site on Short Street. So you will have an extra 100+ staff fighting over the front carpark which is almost full all day anyway. Any customers wishing to collect a parcel will not be able to park. Any idea that RM care about their customers is easily dispelled by the current arrangements to collect parcels at Short Street. They could have easily expanded the counter or even laid on more staff but they prefer to make you queue for 20 mins in the cold. Ivanna Goodhump

7:36pm Thu 13 Dec 12

Carnabackable says...

Ivanna Goodhump wrote:
It's a done deal.

RM are also scrapping (bar a few spaces) the large staff carpark at the rear of the site on Short Street. So you will have an extra 100+ staff fighting over the front carpark which is almost full all day anyway.

Any customers wishing to collect a parcel will not be able to park.

Any idea that RM care about their customers is easily dispelled by the current arrangements to collect parcels at Short Street. They could have easily expanded the counter or even laid on more staff but they prefer to make you queue for 20 mins in the cold.
On the odd occasion that I need to collect from Royal Mail (this title needs addressing) I would park in an area, of which I paid to do so.
If you decide to have this Royal Mail, delivery company - deliver your post, at least have the decency to be in, if not, have the decency to collect, without the moans and groans.
[quote][p][bold]Ivanna Goodhump[/bold] wrote: It's a done deal. RM are also scrapping (bar a few spaces) the large staff carpark at the rear of the site on Short Street. So you will have an extra 100+ staff fighting over the front carpark which is almost full all day anyway. Any customers wishing to collect a parcel will not be able to park. Any idea that RM care about their customers is easily dispelled by the current arrangements to collect parcels at Short Street. They could have easily expanded the counter or even laid on more staff but they prefer to make you queue for 20 mins in the cold.[/p][/quote]On the odd occasion that I need to collect from Royal Mail (this title needs addressing) I would park in an area, of which I paid to do so. If you decide to have this Royal Mail, delivery company - deliver your post, at least have the decency to be in, if not, have the decency to collect, without the moans and groans. Carnabackable

Comments are closed on this article.

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