Royal Mail to press ahead with delivery office closures

Two Royal Mail offices will close after bosses decided to press ahead with plans to centralise services in Wolverhampton.

Workers in Bilston and Wombourne will be moved to the main offices in Sun Street after being told proposals announced earlier this year would go ahead.

Staff in Bilston were said to be “disappointed” by the move but not surprised following a six-month consultation period during which protests were staged.

Around 75 workers will move from the two delivery offices in February.

The Express & Star revealed plans to close the Bilston office, on Hall Street, in March, which sparked concerns about the impact on customers who will have to travel into the city centre to collect parcels.

Fears were also raised about the wider impact on Bilston itself and that it could mean fewer people heading into town to use shops and the market.

Royal Mail said when the proposal was announced the Bilston office was “no longer suitable” due to a fall in the number of letters and parcels being delivered.

It said it had been forced to close the Wombourne base as its lease with Staffordshire County Council was up in March with no option to renew.

Paul Hughes, who has worked at the Bilston delivery office for around 10 years and is the Communication and Workers Union rep for the site, said staff asked Royal Mail to explore expanding the Bilston delivery centre but that the option was deemed to costly.

He said: “We had confirmation and will be moving in February next year.

“We’re disappointed but not really surprised. They rejected all our plans. We put a couple of alternative proposals forward but they were vetoed on cost.

“Our general feeling is that it was a foregone conclusion from the start. One alternative proposal related to expanding the building.

“They said it would have cost ‘x’ amount of money to get the building up to scratch and therefore wasn’t a cost-effective solution.”

The Bilston base was previously saved from the axe in 2010 after a petition against the plan was signed by more than 3,000 people.

Earlier this year plans had also emerged for the Wombourne delivery office to close.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Detailed planning is now underway to ensure a smooth transition for our operation and our people so that the high level of service we provide to our customers in Bilston and Wombourne is maintained.

“The move is part of Royal Mail’s ongoing transformation of its business to increase the efficiency of its operation whilst providing sites for our people which can accommodate the modern postbag. This comprises more and larger parcels as customers increasingly shop online, and fewer letters due to the huge growth in electronic communications.”