Postcode to survive big mail shake-up

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ROCHDALE addresses will be unaffected by a controversial shake-up of postal services.
Rumours had been circulating that the OL (Oldham) postcode could disappear and would be replaced with Manchester postcodes.
But Royal Mail bosses rejected the speculation, confirming that the postcode will continue to be used, but all mail will be stamped with a Manchester postmark.
Rochdale MP Paul Rowen said he has been inundated with complaints from constituents following the review, with many fearing jobs could be lost at the town’s sorting office.
He said: "The ‘OL’ postcode will remain a part of our addresses for the foreseeable future. The only change will be that letters sent from Rochdale will be franked ‘Manchester’ instead of ‘Oldham’ as they currently are.
"It is regrettable that the sorting office in Hamilton Street in Oldham will be axed as part of the shake-up as this may affect people’s jobs from Rochdale. This is a sign of the way that the Royal Mail are currently centralising their operations."
Mr Rowen is calling on postal chiefs to agree to a compromise and stamp all letters with ‘Greater Manchester’ to reflect the geographical area.
He added: "I have written to Royal Mail bosses, suggesting that they change their postmark to Greater Manchester instead of just Manchester. This will be more inclusive and at least include our geographical area – we are not in Manchester and this will avoid misleading people."
Sorting offices in Bolton, Oldham and Stockport have been earmarked for closure – with the potential loss of 900 jobs – and all mail would be sorted in central Manchester.
The plans are part of a £50M reorganisation programme, which would see a new regional distribution centre and new delivery offices built in the city centre.
A Royal Mail spokesman said the change was needed to improve efficiency and months of consultations had been held. She said: "It would be impractical to process items differently from other mail passing through the Manchester mail centre. Quality of service will be maintained."