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Give your view on Royal Mail fight
Wednesday 4th March 2009, 11:58AM GMT.
A people-power campaign is hoping to save a vital delivery office in north Shropshire – and you can add your voice to their fight here.
The Shropshire Star is throwing its weight behind the campaign to save the Royal Mail delivery office in Ellesmere.
A petition has also been launched by Ellesmere Town Council against any move to transfer the service to Oswestry after Royal Mail bosses said they were considering the option.
Town councillors vowed to fight to keep the delivery office in the town after receiving a letter from Royal Mail at a meeting on Monday.
The firm said although it had no plans to close the office it was reviewing operations.
The letter said closing the Ellesmere delivery office and providing the service from Oswestry would be an option.
Councillor Ann Hartley said she had heard rumours the office could be shut as early as April 1.
Councillors are now hoping to meet Royal Mail officials to discuss their concerns.
Ellesmere town clerk Peter Holloway today urged people to use shropshirestar.com to vote on the future of the delivery office.
He said votes registered on Shropshirestar.com would be used by the council in its fight against the plans.
He said: “Anyone who does not have a motor car will be disadvantaged, and for villages on the wrong side of the town, they will probably have to go to Shrewsbury to collect parcels.”
He said the town hall would be affected because it would have to close for deliveries. It would no longer be a matter of simply going down the road to colect items.
“I’m sure there will be other business affected that way. The business park is also expanding so there may be new business affected by it.
“It does not make sense relocating when you think about the expansion that’s about to take place with regard the supermarket and new housing development on the Wharf.
“Ellesmere is growing and it just seems completely against all sense to suggest moving the delivery office.
“I would urge anyone that feels passionately enough about maintaining a very important local service to express their wishes and they can do it in writing to me at this office or register on the website,” he added.
By Abigail Bates
[poll=104]
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Some sort of political football this, a couple of million to support rural Post Offices, no chance, but how many billions are readily available to prop up Banks and the car industry?
Its all called Politics and Progress.
No common sense required.
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Ellesmere post office MUST be kept open its a no brainer really. Ellesmere is a growing town with new development in the area,how can it make economic sense to shut it.Why should residents of the area be forced to travel 10 miles to oswestry or even whitchurch just because some idiot, who doesnt live in a rural area,decides he wants to earn a few brownie points.The people making the decision should be made to visit the area and see for themselves the type of area served by the post office.Maybe then, they may just see the neccessity of keeping this service in the local community and the hardship it would cause local residents if moved.They cannot consider any of this just by looking at figures on a computer screen.
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Though I live in thousands of miles away from Ellesmere, but it hurts my immediate interest too. My son is studying in Sixth Form in Ellesmere College. I’m more than sure that if the Post Office is transferred to Oswestry, the mails from the School will reach me late, at least by one more day and vice versa.
Amlanjyoti Basu
P.O. Box – 47467
Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates
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So much for Adam Crozier’s assumption that the post office is an important part of the community.This is just the start,imagine when Mandelson sells off 30 per cent of Royal Mail?Hard luck if you haven’t got a car.Please support the “Keep the Post Office Public”campaign that the CWU(Postal Union)are now involved in.Otherwise all post offices like Ellesmere will be closed.
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I thank the Shropshire Star for helping us in our campaign to keep our Sorting Office in Ellesmere.
We need to keep this amenity, why should Ellesmere always be the one to lose out,we have a wonderfull community which is slowly growing in the face of adversity and the “Credit Crunch”, the last time we were under threat of closure the Post offices figures just did not add up, and the Sorting Office was reprieved.
Why pick on Ellesmere once again, is it because its considered an easy target.
We need to stand up and be counted, together we can tell the Royal mail to leave us alone once and for all.
This campaign is not just about the loss of basic services or the loss of local jobs, its about maintaining a standard of courtesy and decency,and overcoming the ill conceived arrogant behaviour of the Royal Mail, who have told us that they do not have to discuss these matters with the Ellesmere community as they are a private company , and their decision to close the Sorting Office has nothing to do with us, its apparently a matter between them and their employees.
Well I would like to remind them that this is no way to treat their customers, and that they should remember that customers have a choice, the Post Office and Royal Mail are open to competition.
To survive in this day and age you need to work with your community not pick a fight with it.
Its a bit like David and Goliath, on that occassion the small and good overcame the bullying arrogant attitude of the so called giant.
I would urge everyone to support this campaign and thank you all for doing so.
Geoff Elner.
Ellesmere Town Mayor.
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This is a done thing,royal mail have no intention of keeping ellesmere office open this time,you fought the closure once,but this time its DOOMED!!!,Royal Mail is in financial trouble,just like every-one else,and if there is room to move it to OSWESTRY they will,and they will save money,(no rent to pay on ellesmere office) INFACT THEY HAVE MADE ROOM,ALL THE SORTING FRAMES ARE IN PLACE.(Would’nt you if it was your company). no one will have to travel to oswestry,They are putting a callers office into the counter at ellesmere,so any parcels you have to collect,you will collect from there.
So all this scare-mongering about having to travel to oswestry is RUBBISH.
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