Royal Mail bosses defend plans to close Whitstable office

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Royal Mail bosses defend plans to close Whitstable delivery office

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ROYAL MAIL chiefs refute claims Whitstable residents will be forced to travel to Canterbury to collect undelivered mail.

Bosses are undertaking a three-week joint review with the Communication Workers Union to provide assurances that the planned closure of the Cromwell Road delivery office and its relocation to Canterbury will not affect the service.

They say modernisation will allow Royal Mail to continue in the face of increasing competition in the postal market and a decline in the number of letters being sent.

Delivery Director for Kent, Ray Tompsett, said: "We will continue to provide the same high quality service to our customers in Whitstable."

If customers receive a redelivery card, items could be left with a neighbour, a free re-delivery rearranged for a more convenient day or to another address.

He added customers preferring to travel to Canterbury would benefit from extended opening hours - and the move would have minimal impact on traffic, with postal workers avoiding peak hours. Car sharing or staff taking delivery vehicles home were being considered to help Royal Mail reduce its carbon footprint.

The state-of-the-art super sorting office in Medway replaced four old buildings enabling the business to install the latest machinery for sorting mail at up to 45,000 items an hour.

Mr Tompsett refuted union claims the centre was a "white elephant," saying: "It is now fully staffed, and fully operational, processing mail for our customers across Kent."

No date has been fixed for the move.


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[fishtank]

Car sharing or staff taking delivery vehicles home were being considered

Policy & Guidance for Delivery Office Managers: Overnight Retention of Vehicles and Powered Equipment

1. DOM’s may only authorise vehicles and powered equipment to be retained overnight by employees in situations where there is insufficient space on site for all Royal Mail vehicles and equipment at the Delivery Office.

Change of policy Mr Tompsett?