Royal Mail to close Shrewsbury sorting office
The only Royal Mail sorting office in Shropshire is facing the axe putting 160 jobs under threat.
Royal Mail today announced formal proposals to close its sorting office in Castle Foregate, Shrewsbury.
Mail for Shropshire and Mid Wales will instead be sorted in Chester, Wolverhampton and Cardiff. The Royal Mail says the move is necessary due to ‘challenges from digital communication, competition and mail volume decline’.
They are hoping to avoid compulsory redundancies.
Star Comment: A backward step for the mail service
The Communication Workers Union says the move will put 162 jobs at risk, saying it will have a ‘massive impact’ on postal delivery times. Officials have vowed to fight the plans.
The centre in Shrewsbury, which has been processing mail since 1880, employs 240 workers. Delivery operations will remain on site if the plans are approved, with a decision due to be made in late autumn.
The volume of mail posted to Shropshire and Mid Wales addresses from other parts of the country has fallen by 24.3 per cent over the past five years, while post from Shropshire and Mid Wales sent outside the area has dropped by 35 per cent.
Under the plans, mail for SY postcodes across Shrewsbury and Mid Wales will be dealt with at Chester while mail for TF postcodes in the Telford area will be sent to Wolverhampton. Post in the Llandrindod Wells area (LD) will be sorted in Cardiff.
It follows six months of consultation and the Royal Mail said: “Our aim is to minimise any job reductions. Our intention is to make changes without compulsory redundancies.
“By asking people to demonstrate reasonable flexibility, we expect to be able to find roles for everyone who wants to continue to work for Royal Mail.”
Darren Jones, of the Shropshire and Mid Wales CWU, said: “The job losses will have a massive impact on the local economy.”
By Catherine Ferris
Comments for: "Royal Mail to close Shrewsbury sorting office"
Dave Minshall
I was employed at this office from 1980 until 2003.It is very sad this announcement has come which will affect so many local livelihoods. Royal Mail holds fond memory's for me personally I started as a telegram boy,and also worked within the sorting office and on the Shrewsbury to York TPO..Within my own business we currently mail out between Two and Five hundred items daily through various couriers including Royal Mail.The question i would like to ask is how much disruption to collections is there going to be in the local area,with the mail having to travel a further distance for sorting?
Nick Morgan
This was always going to happen and to be fair the move will probably not change delivery times in the town. When was the last time most residential homes in Shrewsbury received mail before 10am???? A very long time ago. The days of receiving mail when you should are long gone and it bemuses me how Keith Barrow at the council can say we have the best times. Most 1st class most comes two days later with loads of junk mail...
Times are changing and Royal Mail needs to adapt therefore the closure is inevitable and needed if the service is to get better. I think it's a good idea and now Morris's will buy the office and build property on it when its shut as they own all the land surrounding it.
john
How does closing Shrewsbury mail centre lead to a better service?Taking collections etc. to an office 1hr 30 mins away from Shrewsbury surely leads to a worse service.Your knowledge of how RM works seems to be very limited.
Shrewsbury covers SY,TF and LD postcodes and it's mechanised.
The only reason RM is closing Shrewsbury is to get down to 33 mail centres nationwide ready for privatisation which will inevitably lead to a worse service not a better service for the public.Are you willing to pay pounds to send a letter to say the Shetland Isles?RM care little for the customer as well as the employees who work very hard.
john
It's not completely closing down,so Moris's won't be able to expand.It's being downgraded to a collection hub and delivery office.
Matt Sandford
No offence John but Royal Mail were always going to do thsi and cut right back. They have alot of competition now so yes you may end up paying £££'s to send mail with Royal Mail but pence with other mail providers.
Actually I know a couple of the managers there who are good friends of mine and yes it will shut completely and yes Royal Mail are looking to sell the premises. They are also looking to move the collection offices up to Battlefield Shrewsbury which works out cheaper and more accessible for them. Now that is osmething Royal Mail head office won't tell you if you ask them. Its who you know on the inside that counts with info on this etc. Morris's will be in with a shout to purchase the land for development. You only have to ask the lads and girls who work at the sorting office who have confirmed that representatives from Morris's have already been in measuring up and taking pictures of the land outside the sorting buildings.
john
I do actually work there.This is news to me about Morris's taking pictures etc.
anonymous
I work there too. It's not shutting completely, deliveries and network are staying on site under this PROPOSAL. It was rumored that the mail center would be sold off and deliveries relocated to battlefield. Now they are saying that it would cost more for a new delivery office and that by selling off the old building they'd be losing money. Royal Mail won't sell the premises because it's not worth enough to sell and relocate up Battlefield without loss, if anything a couple £100000. If this was true it would completely contradict the reason for moving processing out (they are only going to save £8 million over 10 YEARS!). They aren't going to loss money through their own choice, Royal Mail itself will scrape up as much as it can get. As for Morris measuring it up and taking photos, that's the best rumor I've heard all week. I'd like to know when they were in, because they certainly haven't been in while the staff have been around.
Anonymous
Morris aren't interested in it now they had Fitness Firsts old building 5 years ago. They couldn't buy it any way because Royal Mail won't sell the premises as its not worth much, and is more cost effective to keep it for deliveries/collections instead of a building a new office on Battlefield.
Non sorting staff
There seems to be some confusion here. Morris's were in with the bosses meeting them last week on the 30th August in the afternoon. They did take pictures outside in the yards and they did go around measuring. As for the building being not worth much, then yes that is correct but Morris's want to buy it because they have their premises furthe rup the street and want to connect through the rear of the sdorting offices and also use the land for development.
Moving to Battlefield is a very real option for the collection depot all be it a small one as deals have alreayd been talked about and a suitable site found.
I work at Royal Mail in the offices and I see who comes and goes everyday. Sorry folks Matt was correct and Nick also to some degree.
john
If this is true RM can't be trusted on anything they say.
twiggo
It is a terrible shame that another large employer and service provider is leaving our town centre and being centralised away from Shropshire. A vibrant town is about much more than houses and shops and that seems to be the way that Shrewsbury is going.
Simon
But I suppose it's okay for large employers to leave other towns to relocate to Shrewsbury on the grounds of savings and efficiencies? Welcome Shrewsbury to the real world.
roger
nothing new really shrewsbury is a shambolic town anyway
Jezebel
I suppose following on from this the Rock and Fountain will be the next to close as this has been used as there canteen for numerous years!!!!
guardian
never mind in la-la osbourne land this is actually good news for the local economy,
you see my fellow economics experts because RM is publically owned it is actually bad for our economy and a drag on jobs, so shutting this down and leaving the building derelict for years until inevitably it is turned into more pockey little one bed flats will be great news for shrewsbury and the uk gdp
double dip recession - pa, we will be fine if we just close down more public buildings, next the library then the college, we dont need them, the market will supply them if there is demand
Craig
Its just another blow to town.wich will end up pep who have live in the town for years move way from Shrewsbury all togather.and i don't blaim them.its bad anoth as it is.with shops half empty.Service in Shrewsbury will go down hill.and we wil hold the awards for Worse town of the year in a few years time.Well fed up with this town as it is.so im entending to move away from Shrewsbury for good.
john
You'll need brush up on your spelling and grammar first.