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“I will of course take up these concerns with Royal Mail and urge residents to support their local businesses.”
In his letter to the MP, Cllr Harkness said three post boxes in Saddleworth were being changed to digital so small parcels can be left in.
He wrote: ”I understand revenues from the new digital post boxes will go direct to Royal Mail and nothing will go to the post boxes.
“In Diggle and Dobcross they are the only shops and Dobcross runs a community led shop. These changes could significantly impact the viability of the post offices and shops and leave no coverage of post offices in the area.
“This will impact residents who rely on the services they provide. For larger items, support with forms and collections residents will then need to travel elsewhere. It is clear some residents would struggle with a new digital drop off point.
“Some of these post boxes lie in conservation and any change will impact the conservation area.
“There have been no consultation with residents and I feel Royal Mail should have consulted residents. A number of residents have said they want to keep our post offices and do not want the changes.
“At the time of writing, I have not had a response from Royal Mail. I would ask, as our MP if you could support us by raising concerns to Royal Mail to help ensure we ensure the viability of our community shops and Post offices.”
It comes after Dobcross Village Store manager Tim Newbold told The Oldham Times that the fees from parcels are “fundamental to keeping the store going”.
In response to The Oldham Times’ request for comment on the Dobcross post box change, a Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Our new postboxes of the future offer another convenient way for customers in Dobcross and elsewhere to access Royal Mail’s services.
“They accept larger parcels than standard postboxes and offer digital proof of posting via the Royal Mail app.”
