Cricklade sorting office may close for Swindon merger

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http://www.wiltsglosstandard.co.uk/news ... ost_office_/

By Andy Woolfoot »


MAIL deliveries in Cricklade will suffer if plans to relocate the town’s postal sorting office to Swindon go ahead, according to worried union reps.

The Royal Mail wants to close the branch as part of a national cost-cutting exercise and merge it with the depot in West Swindon.

No jobs are under threat but posties based in Cricklade would be required to travel to Swindon twice daily to pick up and return their mailbags – 28 miles in total.

Postmen at the sorting office have said this week that the change in delivery times may cause problems for businesses in the town as well as the extra travelling time for themselves.

Royal Mail insists the level of service will not change and that customers who miss package deliveries will still be able to collect them from Cricklade instead of travelling to Swindon.

But Chris Rye, branch secretary of the South West Severn branch of the Communication Workers’ Union, is concerned there is no guarantee for this arrangement.

"They are setting something up for people to pick up packages in Cricklade but there’s no long-term assurances at present.

"In Cricklade the postmen go out at around 7.30-8am but it will be an hour or two hours later if they have to go to Swindon.

"You also won’t get local people delivering so you will lost that personal touch. There green issues as well with all the travelling."

The proposal is still under consideration by Royal Mail and petitions to the closure have sprung up around the town.

North Swindon MP Michael Wills has also pledged his support to keep the sorting office from closure.

A spokesman for Royal Mail said: "The proposed move would give staff from Cricklade more room, a better working environment, more modern equiment and there is a manager based there for support.

"Should the proposal go ahead customers should still expect the same level of service in terms of delivery and there would still be a collection point in Cricklade for people who were out when their mail was delivered.

"In addition to a better working environment staff who have to travel further would get additional payments for three years."