Bulwell delivery office is saved from closure

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Royal Mail delivery office is saved from closure after long campaign

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A ROYAL Mail delivery office which was set to close has been saved, a Nottingham MP has revealed.

The Royal Mail launched a consultation with the Communication Workers Union (CWU) on whether to close Bulwell Delivery Office, in Highbury Road, last year.

One option was to merge the office with Bilborough Delivery Office, in Glaisdale Drive.

The plans were met with fierce opposition from MPs, councillors and residents – who would have faced a six mile round trip to collect mail.

A campaign to save the office was launched and Nottingham North MP Graham Allen says that he has now had it confirmed that Bulwell Sorting Office will remain open for the foreseeable future.

Mr Allen said the decision was "excellent news and a breath of common sense."

"Last November it seemed that the Royal Mail had made up their minds and the coalition Government set on privatisation simply weren't interested," he said.

"This triggered a lot of local concern and anger. Working with the local councillors we collected over 300 signatures.

"One disabled constituent told us that she couldn't get to the door in time for the postman and neither could she face catching two buses in each direction with a half mile walk each way just to fetch a package.

"The news is indeed a breath of common sense and thanks are due to the public who backed the campaign, the councillors who lobbied tirelessly and the Communication Workers Union who mobilised their members to fight this penny pinching proposal."

Bulwell councillor Nick McDonald was part of the campaign against the closure and travelled to Westminster with Mr Allen for a meeting with the Royal Mail in January.

He also welcomed the decision to save the office.

"This is fantastic news for residents," he said.

"We are grateful to all of those who signed the petition, and also to Royal Mail for seeing the sense in our representations to them.

"We believe this will protect jobs in the area, and will also ensure that local residents continue to benefit from this important service."

Royal Mail was not available to comment.

Mr Allen has previously criticised the group for acting unfairly.

The Post first reported last November that the office could close but Royal Mail refused to confirm it was up for discussion.

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Campaign delivers on promise to keep mail office open (or does it)

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A STRONG campaign to save Bulwell’s Royal Mail delivery office from closure has been stamped with success.

The decision not to axe the Highbury Road office (pictured) has been welcomed as ‘fantastic news’ by Coun Nick McDonald, a Labour member for Bulwell Forest ward on Nottingham City Council. He thanked 300 people who had signed a petition, calling for the office to be retained.

Coun McDonald travelled with Bulwell’s Labour MP, Graham Allen, for a meeting with Royal Mail at Westminster in January.

Royal Mail had launched a consultation with the Communication Workers Union (CWU) about merging the office with one on Glaisdale Drive, Bilborough.

This suggestion would have meant a six-mile round trip for Bulwell residents to collect mail.

Mr Allen, who gave his support to the anti-closure campaign, said he had been told the office would remain open for the foreseeable future. He described it as a ‘victory for common sense’.

Mr Allen stressed that a big thankyou was due to members of the public who backed the campaign, as well as local councillors for tireless lobbying and the CWU for mobilising its members to fight the closure plan.

He gave the example of how the closure would have adversely affected a disabled woman in Bulwell.

“She told me that she could not get to her door in time for the postman if he was delivering a parcel to her,” said Mr Allen. “If the Bulwell office was not there any more, she would have had to catch two buses in each direction with a half-mile walk each way to collect the package.”

Coun McDonald, who is the council’s executive assistant for economic development, said he was delighted that local residents would still be able to benefit from the important service which the office provided.

He thought credit was due to Royal Mail for ‘seeing the sense’ in the representations made to it.

Royal Mail spokeswoman Val Bodden said the there had been an ongoing consultation over the plans.

She added: “After carefully studying all aspects of the plans, it has been decided to defer a decision on this merger and continue to explore all other options.”