Royal Mail has ‘turned its back on Sedbergh’ says Cumbrian MP

A Cumbrian MP has accused Royal Mail of turning its back on people in Sedbergh after failing to make a decision on the future of the town’s delivery office.

Last September, Royal Mail announced they were consulting on plans to transfer services from Sedbergh’s delivery office to Kendal.

This led to fears that this could threaten the viability of Sedbergh post office – which currently receives a third of its income by renting out the delivery office to Royal Mail – and the outreach services it runs in Endmoor, Dent and Barbon.

However, six months later and the organisation said that “it remains the case that no final decision has been made in relation to the relocation of the Royal Mail operation in Sedbergh”.

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron has criticised Royal Mail.

A petition, signed by well over 1,000 local residents opposing the plans, was presented in Parliament by Mr Farron at the end of last year.

Mr Farron said: “Royal Mail have left people in Sedbergh in the lurch for six months now and that is completely unacceptable.

“This could have dire consequences for the future of post office services in Sedbergh, Endmoor, Dent and Barbon which are obviously vital to those rural communities.

“It is massively important that we keep the pressure on them so they drop this dreadful move once and for all.”