Loss of 61 jobs 'could damage trade'

7:00am Tuesday 19th February 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Julie Tickner, T&A Reporter

MP Philip Davies MP Philip Davies

The closure of Shipley delivery office next month will take 61 jobs from the town, but bring in a dedicated postman for businesses.

On March 11 the Otley Road office will shut and services move to Bradford North Delivery Office in Inkersley Road, near Forster Square Retail Park.

The closure is the last of three, with Bingley and Bradford West delivery offices having already shut.

Royal Mail said 61 staff at the Shipley office will move to the city, leading Shipley town centre manager Yvonne Crossley to warn that it could affect trade.

“People that Royal Mail employ come into town and shop on their lunch breaks,” she said. “It’s taking people out of the town.”

Town centre jeweller Barry Cooper said Shipley was getting a dedicated postman as part of the changes.

“I’m really pleased that the town is now getting its own route. Mail delivery will be better for it,” he said.

But there are concerns about the service for the public. Shipley MP Philip Davies said constituents have been contacting him since the closure of Bingley’s sorting office last November.

The Conservative MP said he had spoken to Royal Mail and it had agreed to let Bingley customers collect undelivered parcels from Eldwick Post Office.

Mr Davies said: “I can tell you from the e-mails I’ve been getting, it’s not very popular. People in Cottingley are having to go to Eldwick. They want to be able to collect parcels in Bingley.”

Mr Davies said the closure of Shipley’s sorting office may cause similar issues.

“I had meetings with Royal Mail and I said although Bradford’s only three miles away on a map from Shipley, in all other respects it’s a million miles away.”

Last March Bradford and District Older People's Alliance raised a petition against the closure of the offices saying it had caused “outrage” among members.

Steve McGuinness, Royal Mail delivery director for North and West Yorkshire, said: “Moving the mail operation from our Bingley, Shipley and Bradford West Delivery Offices will provide improved working conditions, secure employment and provide a more cost- effective operation.”

Comments(15)

webshow says...
9:34am Tue 19 Feb 13

This is not good, Shipley is a separate town with a bradford postcode. If it had its own postcode this would not have happened.

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Joedavid says...
9:56am Tue 19 Feb 13

webshow wrote:
This is not good, Shipley is a separate town with a bradford postcode. If it had its own postcode this would not have happened.
That is news to me Shipley a separate town.

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Albion. says...
10:45am Tue 19 Feb 13

webshow wrote:
This is not good, Shipley is a separate town with a bradford postcode. If it had its own postcode this would not have happened.
Shipley, Bingley and Keighley were all separate councils from Bradford before the forming of Bradford Met. I should think it a safe bet that if they were given the choice, they would elect to form their own Aire Valley council.
Having Eldwick as a collection point for Bingley and it's satellite villages is ridiculous. The re-delivery option is difficult if you aren't home all day and they don't offer specific times. Personally I get reasonable service from Royal Mail, but I get much better service from the private couriers that I use.

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BagOfMonkeys says...
1:11pm Tue 19 Feb 13

webshow wrote:
This is not good, Shipley is a separate town with a bradford postcode. If it had its own postcode this would not have happened.
Unfortunately they'd have run out of 2 letter postcodes if every town had had its own. Imagine, Shipley's mail would probably have ended up in Shrewsbury?!
The 6-7 letters and digits that form a UK postcode is used by computers to be accurate to about 20 homes for delivery sortation.

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Prisoner Cell Block A says...
3:00pm Tue 19 Feb 13

BagOfMonkeys wrote:
webshow wrote:
This is not good, Shipley is a separate town with a bradford postcode. If it had its own postcode this would not have happened.
Unfortunately they'd have run out of 2 letter postcodes if every town had had its own. Imagine, Shipley's mail would probably have ended up in Shrewsbury?!
The 6-7 letters and digits that form a UK postcode is used by computers to be accurate to about 20 homes for delivery sortation.
Post codes were around before the advent of computers.

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paulej79 says...
3:04pm Tue 19 Feb 13

Royal Mail can re-deliver to ANY post office or address if so desired. Surely there must be post offices in the same vicinity the delivery offices were, can not understand why this is a big issue at all.

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Joedavid says...
3:08pm Tue 19 Feb 13

paulej79 wrote:
Royal Mail can re-deliver to ANY post office or address if so desired. Surely there must be post offices in the same vicinity the delivery offices were, can not understand why this is a big issue at all.
I think people think it is the Post Office in Shipley that is closing where they collect their pensions and buy stamps.

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TNMCFM says...
3:57pm Tue 19 Feb 13

Joedavid wrote:
webshow wrote:
This is not good, Shipley is a separate town with a bradford postcode. If it had its own postcode this would not have happened.
That is news to me Shipley a separate town.
Of course we are a town - hence the Shipley Town Hall! Duh!

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Joedavid says...
4:32pm Tue 19 Feb 13

TNMCFM wrote:
Joedavid wrote:
webshow wrote:
This is not good, Shipley is a separate town with a bradford postcode. If it had its own postcode this would not have happened.
That is news to me Shipley a separate town.
Of course we are a town - hence the Shipley Town Hall! Duh!
Yes Bradford has a City Hall where the Council members you and I elect make decisions on the running of Shipley etc.

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eb1972 says...
5:04pm Tue 19 Feb 13

I don't understand why this is such a big deal. On the red delivery card it clearly states that you can rearrange delivery to (1) your own address, (2) your local post office branch or (3) another address in your postcode area. You can even arrange redelivery via the website - I did this loads when I was pregnant and couldn't always get out to the sorting office. Seems pretty convenient to me - do people just not read the card and don't know their options?

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Nabwood says...
10:44pm Tue 19 Feb 13

I use the Shipley collection office a lot. When I do I will often stop and buy stuff from local shops. I've been to the Bradford collection office next to Tesco and two issues arise: it's a lot further - add up to 30 mins to your round trip; and secondly if I'm going to buy something, now I'm more likely to do it at the Tesco superstore. It's not good for the environment and it's not good for Shipley.

And one more thing, may I say thank you to all the Shipley staff for your years of service. When the public sector is criticised so often, they have been exceptionally friendly and always go the extra mile. How many businesses you call the staff a friend. Shipley collection office staff, I salute you.

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Nabwood says...
11:39pm Tue 19 Feb 13

And to those that say it is no big deal to redeliver, did you read the bit on the read card that says that special delivery and tracked items can't be redelivered to an alternative address, and that redelivery to a post office incurs a charge? I thought not.

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Outraged English Subject says...
10:42am Wed 20 Feb 13

Agree.

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markjoe says...
2:40pm Thu 21 Feb 13

paulej79 wrote:
Royal Mail can re-deliver to ANY post office or address if so desired. Surely there must be post offices in the same vicinity the delivery offices were, can not understand why this is a big issue at all.
Your slightly missing the point, its the loss of 61 jobs in the Shipley and the passing trade that this provides.

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Shipleyvegas says...
11:25am Tue 26 Feb 13

Nabwood wrote:
And to those that say it is no big deal to redeliver, did you read the bit on the read card that says that special delivery and tracked items can't be redelivered to an alternative address, and that redelivery to a post office incurs a charge? I thought not.
Well said!

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