Town prepares to celebrate as Royal Mail suspend closure of

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Town prepares to celebrate as Royal Mail suspend closure of Fenland sorting office

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A CAMPAIGN to ‘keep it local’ spearheaded by MP Steve Barclay and the postal workers’ union has saved Chatteris Sorting Office.

Mr Barclay said today they have been told the Post Office has suspended closure plans “for the foreseeable future.”

He said: “This is great news for residents, especially the elderly and those who rely on public transport, as they will not now have to travel to March and back to collect their parcels.

“It is also welcome for postal staff, which faced the prospect of having to work away from Chatteris.”

Mr Barclay added: “Chatteris is a growing town and it did not make sense to merge with the sorting office in March.

“The March sorting office does not have the capacity to absorb even the current Chatteris workload, let alone any future increase. This is a welcome common sense decision.”

He said a lot of hard work had gone into the campaign to save Chatteris sorting office, with intensive lobbying from a resident’s petition, Chatteris Town Council, and the Communication and Workers’ Union.

“It is excellent news that Royal Mail has now thrown out their plans and that our local campaign has had an effect,” said Mr Barclay.

Andy Beeby, chairman of the local branch of the Communication and Workers’ Union said: “I am absolutely delighted. A vital service has been saved and this is great news for the people of Chatteris. Thanks go to Steve Barclay for all his help and support on this campaign, as well as to the town council.

“It just goes to show what can be done when the community comes together.”