A campaigner behind a year-long battle to save Tadley’s postal delivery office has criticised Royal Mail’s announcement it is pressing ahead with the closure.
Last week the company confirmed it would shut down the Newchurch Road delivery office at the end of next month, a decision that has angered Tadley councillor Stephen West.
Royal Mail said that there were no forced redundancies because of the shakeup, and it would reimburse staff for the extra mileage.
Post normally held at Tadley delivery office will now be dispatched from from Basingstoke base on Priestly Road, Houndmills, an 11-mile round trip.
Undelivered mail will be held at the Mulfords Hill post office. All customers in the RG26 post code will have undelivered items stored at the Tadley office, except for Bramley residents whose packages will go to Basingstoke.
After Royal Mail signalled their intentions to close the delivery office in April last year, Cllr West launched a petition to try and persuade Post Office Ltd chiefs to back track and hit out at their final decision.
“Despite objections from thousands of residents, Tadley Town Council, and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, the Royal Mail has insisted on pressing ahead with a move that puts profit before people,” he said.
“It will result in a third class service for our residents - the local postman on his bicycle is now consigned to history.
“The Royal Mail has shown a total disregard for the environment, as from the closure of the delivery office all mail will be delivered by vans from Basingstoke and the postal workers from Tadley will also be driving to and from Basingstoke daily.”
Royal Mail said the move was sparked by a dramatic fall in people using post. According to the firm there are 21 million fewer letters posted every year compared to 2007.
Royal Mail’s Thames Valley delivery director, Gary Burgess, said: “We are making every effort to ensure we continue to provide a consistently high quality service to our customers.
“We will be writing to all our customers in these areas to inform them of these changes very soon.
“These changes are part of the ongoing modernisation of our business which is vital if we are to place Royal Mail on a sound, secure and sustainable footing for the future."
