MP joins protest against relocation of Bolton delivery office

[TrueBlueTerrier]

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/19 ... ry-office/

MP Yasmin Qureshi has joined a campaign to reverse the decision to move Royal Mail’s customer service point for BL4 postcode residents from Bolton North to Bolton West delivery office.

The proposal would mean people in Farnworth travelling to Horwich to pick up their mail - a distance of around 10 miles.

Ms Qureshi, who represents Bolton South East, has now written to Royal Mail objecting to the move and describing the new location as “incredibly inaccessible” for her constituents.

She said: “This change is not a minor one which impacts a small portion of the population. It is a relocation to the tune of 11 miles for some of my constituents and impacts over 17,000 of Royal Mail’s loyal customers.

“To move their customer service point to Horwich, which is well outside the town centre, is incredibly inaccessible for my constituents in the Farnworth, Kearsley, Great Lever and Stoneclough areas especially.

“For those with cars the change is less of an issue but in Bolton around 30-40 per cent of households do not have access to a car and rely on public transport.

“A round trip to the new customer service point could take as much as three hours door to door - this is not acceptable to my constituents I’m afraid.”

​A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We take all feedback from local MPs very seriously. On June 26 we relocated a customer service point from Bolton North Delivery Office to the nearby Bolton West delivery office, located at Northgate Close in Horwich.

“If we are unable to deliver an item first time or leave it with a neighbour, customers can arrange for the item to be redelivered free of charge to their home, an alternative address in the same postcode area or to a local post office for collection. These services can be arranged by calling the telephone number on the ‘Something for you’ card or by visiting royalmail.com/redelivery​.”