Planned closure of sorting office condemned

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Moves to shut Cambridge’s post sorting office have been condemned by councillors, who called for the proposal to be “returned to sender”.

Members of the city council said they did not believe Royal Mail’s assurances over the closure of the Clifton Road base, fearing it will lead to the 7.30pm last post being brought forward and later deliveries to letterboxes.

They unanimously agreed to call for the retention of the sorting office and the 200 jobs it supports, and for the idea of sorting post in Peterborough or Chelmsford instead to be dropped.

Cllr George Owers, who represents Coleridge, proposed the motion and said it would mean a letter posted in Trumpington to an address in Cherry Hinton would have an 80-mile round trip at the mercy of congestion on the A14.

He said: “The current delivery and pick-up times will be impossible to keep. They suggest they will be able to maintain the same last post times when they have to ship it 40 miles to Peterborough but that clearly is not going to happen – they will have to bring it forward.

“Deliveries in the mornings are not very good as it stands – they are often at 12.30pm or 1pm, and if this goes ahead I can’t see a way this service will not be further diminished.

“The people of Cambridge currently have a fairly high quality postal service and it is threatened by this – and I think we have a duty to say we are not happy with this.

“I think we should send a message to Royal Mail that this proposal should be a case of return to sender.”
Royal Mail has said it will make “every effort” to minimise disruption, stating there were “currently no plans” to amend collection times.

The meeting was told the amount of post going in and out of Cambridge fell by 30 per cent over the last five years – but there was only a 3 per cent fall in internal mail.

But Cllr Mike Pitt questioned Royal Mail’s logic.

He said: “They are shifting mail from a growing city with a growing amount of internal mail, and sending it all the way along the A14 and back – it just doesn’t add up.”

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said no decision had been made but that the proposals were aimed at making the city’s postal service sustainable.

She said: “We will make every effort to minimise disruption to customers if the proposed changes go ahead.

“There are currently no plans to amend mail collection times from post boxes.

“Deliveries to customers in the Cambridge postcode area will continue to be made from existing delivery offices as they are now.”

[Wessex]

How ruddy ridiculous , putting more lorries on what many consider to be the country's most dangerous and congested road.

More expert planning from Old Street.Berks !

[Bernardson]

Cambridge is a great city a city of discovery,education, innovation,science,invention and new technology hence Royal Mail doesn't want to be involved with such frivoulities

[Lounge Lizard]

Cambridge is a great city a city of discovery,education, innovation,science,invention and new technology hence Royal Mail doesn't want to be involved with such frivoulities

No, vacating premises to make room for yet more discovery,education, innovation,science,invention and new technology
They're not stopping collecting mail from and delivering it to that 'great city'.