Royal Mail to close three delivery offices (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

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Royal Mail to close three delivery offices

9:30am Tuesday 14th February 2012 in News By Marc Meneaud

the Bingley mail delivery office

by Marc Meneaud Aire Valley Chief Reporter Royal Mail has confirmed that it will be shutting three delivery offices in the Bradford district despite it being accused of “arrogance” by ignoring its own customers.

A spokesman for the company yesterday confirmed that offices in Shipley, Bingley and Bradford West at Thornton will close.

Its operation will move to the Bradford North delivery office in Inkersley Road, Bradford.

The move will take place this summer as part of Royal Mail’s modernisation programme, which it described as “one of the biggest transformations in UK industry”.

However, critics have hit out at Royal Mail bosses for making such a crucial decision – one which will affect tens of thousands of residents in the Aire Valley and west Bradford – without any public consultation on the subject.

Baildon parish councillor Debbie Davies wrote to Royal Mail’s chief executive after the company announced it was looking into whether to close the Shipley delivery office, asking if there would be any public consultation.

However, a spokesman for the company wrote back to her, stating “The company is not obliged to consult publicly on its proposals”.

Mrs Davies said yesterday: “I think it makes Royal Mail sound very arrogant and not at all interested in its customers, which is not good news for local people.

“I only asked two questions: how many items on average are collected per week from the Shipley office and what plans – if any – they have for consulting on this change with customers. They have not really answered either question.

“This will cause inconvenience for elderly people or people with no transport, who will have to go right into Bradford to pick up parcels. It will not make it easy for them.”

Royal Mail spokesman Morag Turnbull said it was “constantly reviewing” efficiency in all its offices during increasingly tough trading conditions, a greater use of e-mail and social networking for communications, and a 40 per cent decline in the volume of mail in the past five years.

She said: “As part of our business-wide modernisation programme, we are currently undertaking one of the biggest transformations in UK industry.

“Royal Mail is investing in new technology and equipment and upgrading operational facilities in order to ensure that we have world- class facilities which provide the most efficient and effective network for delivering the post.

“The consolidation of delivery offices will play a major part in allowing us to place the business on a sound, secure and stable footing.

“We are in the early planning stage for the move and have shared our plans with our people.

“We will continue to work with them and the union on these changes.

“Almost no other company has daily contact with its customers in the way Royal Mail does, so we wish to continue providing consistent and high-quality services to our customers in the Bingley, Shipley and Bradford West area and across the UK.”

Comments(21)

AMDRAM says...
9:41am Tue 14 Feb 12

So where are elderly people supposed to collect parcels etc? Round where I live the van men knock at the door, push a card through and go straight back to their vans and away - no time for elderly or disablesd to answer the door. You then have to wait 24 hours and go to the sorting office to collect the item - a lot of people won't be able to do this if they move to Inkersley Road. You can request re-delivery, but the same thing will probably happen again!!