Derry reps seek Royal Mail meeting over closure threat to Post Office

The Post Office has confirmed it is considering a range of options relating to its network of 115 directly managed branches, which includes its hub at Custom House Street in Derry city centre.

At this month’s Business and Culture Committee, People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin proposed writing to the representatives about the closure, and to also to seek clarification on the continuing lateness of letter delivery throughout the district.

Councillor Harkin said the Post Office’s plans for 115 branches, including the main branches in Belfast and Derry, were “very concerning” and requested the meeting to discuss a potential closure’s impact on services and staff.

He added: “The union that represents Post Office workers have come out very, very strongly against this.

“We should be with the union because I think that they have the right concerns: workers and communities and how it will impact them.”

Councillor Harkin also noted that letters are not being delivered “the way it should”, which was “not a new phenomenon in Derry”.

“We’ve worked with people who are waiting on offers for houses and I know there’s a big issue about people receiving their letters for appointments at Altnagelvin,” he said. “So council should be seeking a meeting with senior Royal Mail Management.

“The problem is likely to worsen as we head into Christmas, where they will be prioritising parcels over the delivery of basic mail.“

DUP Alderman Julie Middleton said she had received complaints “every day for quite some time”, with letters being sent to constituents “way, way later than [they] should have”.

“That does not mean that it’s our postman or postwoman’s fault,” she clarified. “We have amazing staff and we should be doing everything we can to protect them and our postal services.

“The reality is not all of our constituents do online banking and do things by going into the post office and dealing with their business there and then, not everyone has access to emails, the internet.”

“Not everybody needs to travel for miles and miles because their local post office has been closed, especially our older and our vulnerable people, and we’re going to see that knock on effect if the GPO closes."

“Our postmen and women do an amazing job, but we need to speak to managers and press that it is vital that the service is not closed.”

Andrew Balfour,

Local democracy Reporter