Royal Mail urged to re-think Bilston office closure
The Royal Mail has been urged to re-think its decision to close a delivery office in Bilston by an MP who says it will have a "major impact" on locals.
Workers will be moved to the main offices at Sun Street in Wolverhampton from February as part of a move to centralise services. The base in Wombourne will also close.
The final decision was announced earlier this month following a consultation period with staff but MP Pat McFadden, whose constituency includes Bilston, has now written to Royal Mail bosses calling on them to reconsider.
The Labour MP said if the decision can't be reversed then arrangements should be made to allow residents to collect parcels from Bilston rather than having to travel into Wolverhampton city centre.
The Royal Mail says the bases are no longer viable due to the reduction in mail being delivered.
In his letter, Mr McFadden wrote: "This relocation is a major loss of service to my constituents. Online shopping has expanded hugely over the last decade and is now part of everyday life.
"However, busy working lives and other responsibilities mean that people are often out when these parcels are delivered. The little red card telling people they have to collect their parcel from somewhere has become a familiar sight.
"At the moment, my constituents in the Bilston area can collect their parcels from the Bilston delivery office. This is very convenient.
"It will be far less convenient for people to have to go to the mail centre in Sun Street. Depending on traffic this could be a 30-minute round trip in a car and for people without cars it would take much longer.
"This decision will therefore have a major impact in terms of inconvenience for residents who have to travel significantly further in order to collect undelivered parcels.
"Even at this late stage I would like to ask Royal Mail to look again at this closure decision. And in any event, if this decision proceeds I would like to ask that you provide parcel pick-up arrangements which mean that my constituents do not have to go to Sun Street in order to collect their parcels."
