Marple Website Community Calendar
Archive => Archived Boards => Local Issues => Topic started by: amazon on August 15, 2016, 08:01:41 PM
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In Marple bridge post office theres a petition to try stop post office moving sorting office to stockport .anyone any info on this .
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One of the postal workers got in touch about this a couple of days ago asking for advice about setting up an on-line petition. I'm now waiting for a link to promote it. The proposal is to close the Marple Sorting Office and use the one in Stockport. Hopefully have more details soon.
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maybe they want to make room for a supermarket :)
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I don’t care where the sorting office is. But there should be somewhere with open long hours in Maple where I can pick up mail items if I am not in when the post person calls. The hours have to be long enough for someone that does not work in Marple, e.g. the collection place must be open before 7:30 or after 7:30pm, so a person with a long commute can still pick up their parcels.
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I don’t care where the sorting office is. But there should be somewhere with open long hours in Maple where I can pick up mail items if I am not in when the post person calls. The hours have to be long enough for someone that does not work in Marple, e.g. the collection place must be open before 7:30 or after 7:30pm, so a person with a long commute can still pick up their parcels.
Asda would be ideal but i dont think that will happen they got ride of the Amazon lockers .
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maybe they want to make room for a supermarket :)
not against that if its a decent one .
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Asda would be ideal but i dont think that will happen they got ride of the Amazon lockers .
On a related note I see Morrisons at Bredbury and Hyde have recently had Amazon Lockers fitted. Real shame we lost the Marple one when ASDA rolled into town.
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Our postlady told me today that it is scheduled to close in March.
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Our postlady told me today that it is scheduled to close in March.
AS long s theres no redundancies dont see what he problem his the parcells can be left at the post office .Things are a changing . we just have to ace pt it
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AS long s theres no redundancies dont see what he problem his the parcells can be left at the post office .Things are a changing . we just have to ace pt it
Two points - Firstly, there may not be redundancies but won't employees who probably live near Marple now have to get to the other side of Stockport? Won't be much fun. Secondly, to get parcels sent to the P.O. isn't there a fee? Not ideal. Keep the sorting office in Marple!
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I don't really care where the sorting office is. The only thing that would concern me it it was moved out of Marple would be how I could pick up any missed deliveries without driving out of the town. There would need to be somewhere that opens the same time as the sorting office does (7am-11am I believe) to give the same service.
Perhaps the Post Office could open earlier but I'm not sure the lovely couple who run it would appreciate the extra hours.
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@William Wragg has beaten the postal workers to it with his own on-line petition. Here's what our MP has to say:
I wanted to let you know about the potential closure of the Bredbury and Marple Royal Mail Delivery Offices. Many local residents and businesses rely upon the convenient facility they offer for the collection of parcels and items of mail.
I have already written to the Chief Executive of Royal Mail expressing my concern at the proposals. However, in order to ensure as much public pressure is brought to bear, I am launching a petition. I will send this to Royal Mail and present it to the House of Commons.
If, like me, you want to such services remain in Bredbury and Marple I would be extremely grateful if you sign the online petition. You can sign the petition here:
https://www.williamwragg.org.uk/campaigns/save-our-royal-mail-delivery-offices
http://www.petitions24.com/save_our_royal_mail_delivery_offices
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There is currently a technical issue with William Wraggs online petition, it is currently being looked into. Hopefully working again soon.
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Two points - Firstly, there may not be redundancies but won't employees who probably live near Marple now have to get to the other side of Stockport? Won't be much fun. Secondly, to get parcels sent to the P.O. isn't there a fee? Not ideal. Keep the sorting office in Marple!
So do not other people have to travel to stockport to work why are postmen different
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It is not so much the postmen - though I do sympathise with them, they have long enough days as it is. The people it will affect are the locals who might have missed deliveries, and maybe have no transport of their own to get to the Stockport sorting office to collect their parcels. Plus, of course, the local businesses, as already pointed out. The Marple sorting office would be very much missed.
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So do not other people have to travel to stockport to work why are postmen different
Try getting a bus into Stockport at 5am! I also don't know if the Stockport sorting office have enough parking for everyone that will work from there.
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The now working petition is available at http://www.petitions24.com/save_our_royal_mail_delivery_offices
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Try getting a bus into Stockport at 5am! I also don't know if the Stockport sorting office have enough parking for everyone that will work from there.
Point made .
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The now working petition is available at http://www.petitions24.com/save_our_royal_mail_delivery_offices
signed
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So do not other people have to travel to stockport to work why are postmen different
Because they and their families have probably chosen to buy/rent a house near where they work - in Marple. And possibly send their kids to a school in Marple.
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Because they and their families have probably chosen to buy/rent a house near where they work - in Marple. And possibly send their kids to a school in Marple.
So postmen are Different than other people that must travel further than stockport to work .
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Where is the Stockport sorting office located, it used to be in Exchange Street but that closed years ago and is still empty?
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the parcells can be left at the post office .
But they won't be - we can be sure of that. Royal Mail was privatised five years ago, sold off at a discount price to the government's friends in the City, who (kerchinng!) made a fast buck as a result. And the government sold off its last 30% stake a year ago, ending 499 years of public ownership. Yes, the Royal Mail was founded in 1516!
So this is exactly the sort of cost-cutting we can expect, and no doubt there will be more to come. There are already fewer collections, no doubt the Saturday deliveries and collections will end soon, and the much prized universal postal service is only guaranteed for another five years, until 2021.
So delivery services will all be done from Stockport, and when we have to go to the sorting office to collect a parcel, because we are out when the postie called, or because s/he couldn't be bothered to ring the bell (yes, it happens), we'll have to go to Stockport.
So let's all sign Willie Wragg's petition - although at the moment his petition website doesn't seem to be working.
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Where is the Stockport sorting office located, it used to be in Exchange Street but that closed years ago and is still empty?
It's at Green Lane SK4 2HQ, a 1km walk towards Heaton Mersey from the bus station. To quote one of the many (poor) Google reviews, "It's a pain in the arse to get to if you don't have a car".
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So let's all sign Willie Wragg's petition - although at the moment his petition website doesn't seem to be working.
The corrected address seems to be working fine: http://www.petitions24.com/save_our_royal_mail_delivery_offices (http://www.petitions24.com/save_our_royal_mail_delivery_offices)
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The Tories sold it off and are now complaining about the service deteriorating!
You couldn't make it up.
( well, yes you could because we have seen it a million times before with rail, utilities, NHS etc.)
What do people expect when they vote for them?
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The Tories sold it off and are now complaining about the service deteriorating!
You couldn't make it up.
( well, yes you could because we have seen it a million times before with rail, utilities, NHS etc.)
What do people expect when they vote for them?
Agree with the sentiments and am staggered with the hypocrisy of our local MP [although i shouldn't be of course ] but just for some balance the sell off of Royal Mail was started by Vince Cable of course , when Coalition Business Secretary .
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Firstly lets remember that the number of letters we get have been reducing greatly, but the number of packages we get have been going up, hence postman are not using van due to the size/weight of the packages. The cost of having a postman put one letter in my letter box is not much different to them putting 3 in, hence regardless of Royal Mail being sold, postage cost would have gone up, or the service reduced.
Clearly for the Royal Mail to complete it need to become more effective. Modem sorting machines are amazing, but are also expensive, so can’t be put in small sorting offices. Therefore it makes total sense to have larger sorting offices.
But the postman have to get to the larger sorting office for work, without any effective public transport, therefore I would like to see the Royal Mail being required to run minibuses from any sorting office they close for the workers.
We also need to be able to pick up packages, so there must be someone local to everyone that is open long hours to pick them up from. This does not have to be a sorting office. Personally I would rather be able to pick up my miss packages from Rose Hill Store, rather than having to try to park in Marple. There is no reason way there can’t be more the one pickup location for Marple.
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We also need to be able to pick up packages, so there must be someone local to everyone that is open long hours to pick them up from. This does not have to be a sorting office. Personally I would rather be able to pick up my miss packages from Rose Hill Store, rather than having to try to park in Marple. There is no reason way there can’t be more the one pickup location for Marple.
I can't remember the last time "I" sent a letter, it will have literally been years ago. Maybe two or three times a year I put something in a prepaid envelope to return to a company. The only correspondence I receive in the post are bills - all of which I could get electronically, and will start doing so as and when they inevitably start charging for paper copies.
I have all small packages delivered to my work (they are really good about this, and maybe 2/3 of the deliveries the office gets in a given week will be personal items for staff members) as actually getting hold of stuff that Royal Mail have tried to deliver is a nightmare - the sorting office shuts for picking up missed deliveries at 11.45am, WTF!
Any item that is going to be too large for me to bring back from work I pay the extra and have it delivered by courier - Amazon seems to primarily use DPD these days, who I have found to be excellent - they tell you the 60 minute window during which you package will arrive.
For the above reasons it makes not one bit of difference to me if the sorting office moves, but if they don't make alternative arrangements for collecting packages it's just going to prompt more people to do what I do and actively try and avoid Royal Mail.
Times are a changing, and the Royal Mail needs to catch up.
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The Tories sold it off and are now complaining about the service deteriorating!
You couldn't make it up.
( well, yes you could because we have seen it a million times before with rail, utilities, NHS etc.)
What do people expect when they vote for them?
Well said. Why do people keep voting for this awful ideology?
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Well said. Why do people keep voting for this awful ideology?
If the sorting office does close do you supose we will have another supermarket there the sorting office was to expensive to buy at the time so it was reported .
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I certainly hope not, there is enough traffic in Marple, as it is.
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If the sorting office does close do you supose we will have another supermarket there the sorting office was to expensive to buy at the time so it was reported .
Yes I think we will. I also am not sure it is a good idea due to parking etc.
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I certainly hope not, there is enough traffic in Marple, as it is.
As the song goes those legs were made for walking .
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If the sorting office does close do you supose we will have another supermarket there the sorting office was to expensive to buy at the time so it was reported .
I certainly hope not. It would be very bad for Marple.
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If the sorting office does close do you supose we will have another supermarket there the sorting office was to expensive to buy at the time so it was reported .
The issue wasn't just the sorting office - the whole site is expensive to build on because of it's landscape.
That said, if the sorting office does close it would surely make it at least a bit cheaper - although how ,much cheaper who knows, as Royal Mail will still be tied to a lease, and the landlord will still want their money.
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The issue wasn't just the sorting office - the whole site is expensive to build on because of it's landscape.
That said, if the sorting office does close it would surely make it at least a bit cheaper - although how ,much cheaper who knows, as Royal Mail will still be tied to a lease, and the landlord will still want their money.
Dont think they will want silly prices quoted .they are closing to save money if its left empty its costing them money .could get interesting next few months .
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Dont think they will want silly prices quoted .they are closing to save money if its left empty its costing them money .could get interesting next few months .
True, but even empty it will be costings the significantly less than if open and using gas/electricity, etc.
Such is the way of these things that it could end up cheaper for RM to leave it empty than to sell on the lease if they can't find the right people to take it on.
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One of the interesting facts is the, almost total, lack of communicating this news to the community of Marple.
Painfully little has been done to make the people aware of what is happening, it's almost as if you have to make a song and dance about it to get the people to pay attention.
One or two petitions isn't enough as god knows how many don't use or have access to use the internet.
A better form of comms is to have a big sign on Market St to notify the people or lots of small ones along Market St and around the bus stops. How about a Q & A meeting in the Senior Citizens Hall?
Generally speaking, you're going to have to buck up your ideas and speak up otherwise it's a case of bye.
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One of the interesting facts is the, almost total, lack of communicating this news to the community of Marple.
Painfully little has been done to make the people aware of what is happening, it's almost as if you have to make a song and dance about it to get the people to pay attention.
One or two petitions isn't enough as god knows how many don't use or have access to use the internet.
A better form of comms is to have a big sign on Market St to notify the people or lots of small ones along Market St and around the bus stops. How about a Q & A meeting in the Senior Citizens Hall?
Generally speaking, you're going to have to buck up your ideas and speak up otherwise it's a case of bye.
So are you organising it all .dont think you will get many interested .
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No,
The interesting thing here (if there is anything interesting) is that the closure of Marple sorting office has been on the cards for almost three years, roughly about the same time that planning permission was refused for a supermarket on Hibbert Lane. It isn't a new thing. If my recall is correct it was debated on this website around that time. It is just that some people and that includes some Royal Mail employees would just not accept it.
Royal Mail, or whoever they are now, is a commercial organisation, they are not the Council, they don't need anybody's support. They are not going to take any notice of a few petitions or 'V' boards on Market street or elsewhere.
So just save your energy for something that you can influence.
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No,
The interesting thing here (if there is anything interesting) is that the closure of Marple sorting office has been on the cards for almost three years, roughly about the same time that planning permission was refused for a supermarket on Hibbert Lane. It isn't a new thing. If my recall is correct it was debated on this website around that time. It is just that some people and that includes some Royal Mail employees would just not accept it.
Royal Mail, or whoever they are now, is a commercial organisation, they are not the Council, they don't need anybody's support. They are not going to take any notice of a few petitions or 'V' boards on Market street or elsewhere.
So just save your energy for something that you can influence.
if a business realocates you either go with it or find another job .
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On the question of a supermarket on the site.
In 2015, SMBC approached: Aldi, Booths, Lidl, Morrisons, M & S, Sainsburys, Tesco and Waitrose and asked them ...." If there was a site available would you be interested in coming to Marple."
Aldi were "interested" M&S were "not disinterested." The rest for a variety of reasons were completely uninterested. At that time (not all) but the vast majority of local councilors (4 of them) were against the idea of another supermarket, whosoever it was. Since then of course, time has moved on and so have the 4 Councillors.
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On the question of a supermarket on the site.
In 2015, SMBC approached: Aldi, Booths, Lidl, Morrisons, M & S, Sainsburys, Tesco and Waitrose and asked them ...." If there was a site available would you be interested in coming to Marple."
Aldi were "interested" M&S were "not disinterested." The rest for a variety of reasons were completely uninterested. At that time (not all) but the vast majority of local councilors (4 of them) were against the idea of another supermarket, whosoever it was. Since then of course, time has moved on and so have the 4 Councillors.
But now the post office site may shortly be available .that could be the difference .
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But now the post office site may shortly be available .that could be the difference .
Possibly, but the main reason a 2nd supermarket in Marple was attractive way back when was because the 1st supermarket was the ripoff Coop.
With a populous trained to spend their money outside Marple, competing against Asda for what's left may not be all that attractive a business plan - especially on a site with a hefty start up cost.
Hopefully I'm wrong, as I'd like to see Asda have the competition that the Coop never did, but I'm not holding my breath.
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I certainly hope not, there is enough traffic in Marple, as it is.
There are lot of people driving out of Marple to go to a supermarket, so a supermarket could reduce traffic on Dan's Bank etc.
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There are lot of people driving out of Marple to go to a supermarket, so a supermarket could reduce traffic on Dan's Bank etc.
There's no need to leave Marple for a supermarket, and even if you do, you wouldn't need to drive anywhere near Dan Bank. I do occasionally use a supermarket elsewhere, but only because there is one on one of my routes home from work, so I'd be driving anyway.
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There's no need to leave Marple for a supermarket, and even if you do, you wouldn't need to drive anywhere near Dan Bank. I do occasionally use a supermarket elsewhere, but only because there is one on one of my routes home from work, so I'd be driving anyway.
There may be no NEED to shop elsewhere but many of us do CHOOSE to. I only use Marple's Asda as a convenience store as its not where I choose to shop. So that's a couple of trips up and down Dan Bank every week, and a great many residents of Marple do the same.
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There may be no NEED to shop elsewhere but many of us do CHOOSE to. I only use Marple's Asda as a convenience store as its not where I choose to shop. So that's a couple of trips up and down Dan Bank every week, and a great many residents of Marple do the same.
That's very surprising. I come originally from a town overrun with supermarkets (Sainsbury's Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, M&S, Waitrose and soon to be Asda) and am very pleased to live now somewhere no so afflicted. Things were better when we had a wonderful Co-op, but we still have the Co-op at the garage and Iceland and a great many local shops and even Asda if you're desperate. I do sometimes use supermarkets elsewhere if I'm passing anyway, but these don't involve using Dan Bank.
I suspect that even if Marple is ruined by a new supermarket, there will always be people who insist on using a different one and travelling anyway. I've only been here three years and I don't want to have to move somewhere else to escape supermarkets. The wonderful shops here are one of the big attractions of Marple and I don't want to lose them.
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There may be no NEED to shop elsewhere but many of us do CHOOSE to. I only use Marple's Asda as a convenience store as its not where I choose to shop. So that's a couple of trips up and down Dan Bank every week, and a great many residents of Marple do the same.
So why do you not choose to shopi in Marple .
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I have not entered this thread before as there is so much hot air on it. Generally I don't disapprove of Asda, I just think the Marple one is too small and cramped for them to really show what they can do. The site is small for a supermarket, and the aisles in the store are too narrow and the shelves too high. However, their pricing is not bad, and the staff are friendly and helpful (after all the majority of them came from the Co-op anyway). If you are in a position to choose your times of visiting the car park is not bad, but it does get overfull at busy times,e.g. just after school. Right that is me said, I shall now shut up!
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So why do you not choose to shopi in Marple .
Because the variety, quality and value that I seek is not available in Marple shops.
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I have not entered this thread before as there is so much hot air on it. Generally I don't disapprove of Asda, I just think the Marple one is too small and cramped for them to really show what they can do. The site is small for a supermarket, and the aisles in the store are too narrow and the shelves too high. However, their pricing is not bad, and the staff are friendly and helpful (after all the majority of them came from the Co-op anyway). If you are in a position to choose your times of visiting the car park is not bad, but it does get overfull at busy times,e.g. just after school. Right that is me said, I shall now shut up!
Why? Your comments are useful!
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I have to say, collecting from the sorting office has only ever been a pain in the arse with its odd opening hours. Just across the border, parcels for New Mills area can instead be collected from their actual Post Office, which is open Mon-Sat 8am to 6pm!
I don't see why there couldn't be an agreement to do the same for Marple and have undelivered parcels taken there for collection instead. It is utterly absurd to consider sending them all the way into Stockport.
Oh no, maybe I can see why not - since they closed Hawk Green and Rose Hill and shrunk the only remaining Marple PO into that squashed-in counter at the back, maybe it couldn't handle demand? No wonder their postal business is shrinking, if they literally do it themselves!
As an aside, I don't know why they don't come up with a better kind of "safe place" system, like some kind of standardised lockable box for parcel deliveries. It would save all delivery companies a heck of a lot of time, money and pollution. The whole hoopla of missed deliveries and going to a collection office is totally archaic really...
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I have to say, collecting from the sorting office has only ever been a pain in the arse with its odd opening hours. Just across the border, parcels for New Mills area can instead be collected from their actual Post Office, which is open Mon-Sat 8am to 6pm!
I don't see why there couldn't be an agreement to do the same for Marple and have undelivered parcels taken there for collection instead. It is utterly absurd to consider sending them all the way into Stockport.
Oh no, maybe I can see why not - since they closed Hawk Green and Rose Hill and shrunk the only remaining Marple PO into that squashed-in counter at the back, maybe it couldn't handle demand? No wonder their postal business is shrinking, if they literally do it themselves!
As an aside, I don't know why they don't come up with a better kind of "safe place" system, like some kind of standardised lockable box for parcel deliveries. It would save all delivery companies a heck of a lot of time, money and pollution. The whole hoopla of missed deliveries and going to a collection office is totally archaic really...
Idid mention this at marple Bridge post office this week they said we have no room for keeping parcells. .
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Idid mention this at marple Bridge post office this week they said we have no room for keeping parcells. .
Civic review the post office have said if the sorting office closes they will provide a local collection point for people to collect parcels ,
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Because the variety, quality and value that I seek is not available in Marple shops.
How odd. How long ago is it since you shopped in Marple? Or perhaps you never have, prefering to make assumptions based on nothing concrete.
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Because the variety, quality and value that I seek is not available in Marple shops.
So what sort of shops do you prefer Harry .to the ones in marple .
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Civic review the post office have said if the sorting office closes they will provide a local collection point for people to collect parcels ,
For those that may be interested Amazon are instaling there lockers in Morrisons supermarkets .they have signed a contrack with morrisons .
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Here are some people that you can contact if you'd like to help support the call to keep local sorting offices open:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CtQYgX2XYAAvoN5.jpg)
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Here are some people that you can contact if you'd like to help support the call to keep local sorting offices open:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CtQYgX2XYAAvoN5.jpg)
I'm assuming it will be more efficient to have a central office and overall, will keep postage costs down.
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Here are some people that you can contact if you'd like to help support the call to keep local sorting offices open:
<snip>
Whilst I am generally in favour of the local sorting offices remaining open, this flyer is ridiculous, and riddle with half truths and/or inaccuracies.
>Out of town industrial estate
Nope, it's in the centre of stockport, a short walk from the bus station
>any move will result in a marked deterioration in the Local Services
Such as? RM haven't said that they're also going to reduce deliveries/collections (above the changes they've already made in these areas). The only guaranteed change is the location of pickups if you miss a delivery, and as the arrangements for that haven't been confirmed, it can't be said to be worse, and may well be better.
>There will be not one solitary benefit for either the Public or the Workforce.
Workforce - probably little to no benefit, but do all the staff really live in Marple? Do none of them commute? Across the workforce as a whole it's likely to be a wash.
Public - if it keeps costs down, it keeps prices down, a definite benefit to the public. And who knows, the collection options for missed deliveries might also improve (couldn't get anymore restrictive)
>defend ... Local Jobs
Huh? The sorting office isn't being relocated abroad, or even to the other end of the country, just the centre of Stockport. How are local jobs under attack by this?
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I don't like to see the closing of any local amenity but the opening hours of the PO sorting office are a joke, (07.30 -11.45 mon-fri, 7.30-11.30 Saturday) if you are not at home to receive a Parcelforce delivery and its returned to the sorting office and you are in full time employment you only have the option of a Saturday morning collection. Not good enough in 2016.
Maybe the proposed new facility with have more flexible opening hours.
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Whilst I am generally in favour of the local sorting offices remaining open, this flyer is ridiculous, and riddle with half truths and/or inaccuracies.
>defend ... Local Jobs
Huh? The sorting office isn't being relocated abroad, or even to the other end of the country, just the centre of Stockport. How are local jobs under attack by this?
I suppose it depends who the flyer was aimed at but if it were the general public, the union should realise that mail delivery services exist for the customer and shareholders, not as am employment scheme.
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>Out of town industrial estate
Nope, it's in the centre of stockport, a short walk from the bus station
No its not - I know because its my sorting office, they closed the central Stockport one and its now Green Lane Industrial Estate which is quite a way out from the town centre and not an easy walk as its over the other side of the motorway near Staples - without a car its a pain to get there, even with a car there are only two provided car park spaces and all the posties park round there so it can be difficult to park on the street at certain times. The hours are better granted, one late night and half day Sunday, but as an alternative to Marple its a non starter so a lot people's only viable option will be to redirect to the post office which last time I checked cost £1.50
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>Out of town industrial estate
Nope, it's in the centre of stockport, a short walk from the bus station
I agree with Alison - it's NOT the above!
It's a pain to get to on foot, not near the train of bus station and certainly not near the main shops. Inconvenient for customers and employees.
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I agree with Alison - it's NOT the above!
It's a pain to get to on foot, not near the train of bus station and certainly not near the main shops. Inconvenient for customers and employees.
It's a 10 min walk from Stockport bus station - I think we have VERY different ideas about what constitutes "out of town".
In any case, it's precise location is only relevant if that is where we would have to go to collect missed deliveries.
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Whilst I am generally in favour of the local sorting offices remaining open, this flyer is ridiculous, and riddle with half truths and/or inaccuracies.
>Out of town industrial estate
Nope, it's in the centre of stockport, a short walk from the bus station
>any move will result in a marked deterioration in the Local Services
Such as? RM haven't said that they're also going to reduce deliveries/collections (above the changes they've already made in these areas). The only guaranteed change is the location of pickups if you miss a delivery, and as the arrangements for that haven't been confirmed, it can't be said to be worse, and may well be better.
>There will be not one solitary benefit for either the Public or the Workforce.
Workforce - probably little to no benefit, but do all the staff really live in Marple? Do none of them commute? Across the workforce as a whole it's likely to be a wash.
Public - if it keeps costs down, it keeps prices down, a definite benefit to the public. And who knows, the collection options for missed deliveries might also improve (couldn't get anymore restrictive)
>defend ... Local Jobs
Huh? The sorting office isn't being relocated abroad, or even to the other end of the country, just the centre of Stockport. How are local jobs under attack by this?
To disagree slightly - since privatisation their sole driver will be profit, a marked difference from what Royal Mail was with Posties as uniformed civil servants fulfilling an essential public need even if only to deliver tax demands on behalf of HMRC!
Out of town industrial estate
Nope, it's in the centre of stockport, a short walk from the bus station
For everyone who uses Marple DO this is a marked deterioration, it'll mean a trip into Stockport, another car on Dan Bank etc. It is going to be a pain in the arse!
There will be not one solitary benefit for either the Public or the Workforce.
Workforce - probably little to no benefit, but do all the staff really live in Marple? Do none of them commute? Across the workforce as a whole it's likely to be a wash.
Public - if it keeps costs down, it keeps prices down, a definite benefit to the public. And who knows, the collection options for missed deliveries might also improve (couldn't get anymore restrictive)
The workforce are important and any businesses largest asset, I live opposite a postie who works from the Marple office, it'll mean him driving to Stockport to pick up his round and drive back out to marple to deliver it - hardly seems sensible once you scale this up across Stockport.
Do you really think that this is going to lower the cost of stamps? Or is it for the share holders. There is little public benefit in that, also see point one.
defend ... Local Jobs
Huh? The sorting office isn't being relocated abroad, or even to the other end of the country, just the centre of Stockport. How are local jobs under attack by this?
Well closing several DO will mean that there will be surplus roles when centralised - for instance the person who is on the collection counter, I imagine that will be over staffed once you collapse 3 to 1, I have no real idea of how the offices work but I imagine there is similar duplication. Clearly any job loss is terrible for the individual and their family as well as the community as they won't have money to spend in local shops and may end up costing the tax payer in unemployment benefit.
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I reserve judgement on whether it is a good thing or not, but I wish I could see answers to:
(1) What are the arrangements for pickups if deliveries are missed? (Local shops - could be considerably better than at present; however, if somewhere in Stockport - extreme nuisance).
(2) What is going to happen to the (quite large and central) vacated site?
I simply couldn't judge whether it is a good or bad thing without knowing these. Can't the Royal Mail simply tell us? Maybe something for Councillors/MP to take up, rather than mounting a petition to stop it without knowing any facts.
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(1) What are the arrangements for pickups if deliveries are missed? (Local shops - could be considerably better than at present; however, if somewhere in Stockport - extreme nuisance).
(2) What is going to happen to the (quite large and central) vacated site?
1/ Probably wouldn't be sorted out in detail by the Post Office until they decide to close it.
2/ Would be nothing to do with the Post Office but again nobody would do anything about it until it had happened. There may be a number of options.
I'd like to know these answers too but I'm not sure there's anyone who can tell us?
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1/ Probably wouldn't be sorted out in detail by the Post Office until they decide to close it.
2/ Would be nothing to do with the Post Office but again nobody would do anything about it until it had happened. There may be a number of options.
I'd like to know these answers too but I'm not sure there's anyone who can tell us?
It's got nothing to do with the Post Office. It's a Royal Mail initiative.
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It's got nothing to do with the Post Office. It's a Royal Mail initiative.
1/ Probably wouldn't be sorted out in detail by the Post Office Royal Mail until they decide to close it.
2/ Would be nothing to do with the Post Office Royal Mail but again nobody would do anything about it until it had happened. There may be a number of options.
I'd like to know these answers too but I'm not sure there's anyone who can tell us?
::)
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Hi all,
I just wanted to get in touch to try and clarify some points - where possible.
Royal Mail are currently still having a series of meetings to discuss this proposal. So far, we haven't been provided a date from when this will be completed, but no decision has currently been made.
As some of you have already pointed out, I did launch a petition for this, which I recently presented in Parliament.
Those residents who signed my petition will be receiving a full update from me via letter over the next few days (if you haven't already received it). As soon as I have been give an update - I will ensure you're all updated too.
If you'd like to read more about the actions I have taken, you can do so by following this link: https://www.williamwragg.org.uk/news/royal-mail-delivery-office (https://www.williamwragg.org.uk/news/royal-mail-delivery-office)
As always, any questions or queries please contact me via:
Email: william@williamwragg.org.uk
Call: 0161 427 0660
Write/Visit: 13 Stockport Road, Marple, Stockport, SK6 6BD.
Best wishes,
William
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If it requires a signature, local shops can't take them so it would still be a trip into Stockport. As for the central building that has been vacant for years, Royal Mail still own this, just can't find a buyer, however Green Lane is rented! Makes sense ::)
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If it requires a signature, local shops can't take them so it would still be a trip into Stockport. As for the central building that has been vacant for years, Royal Mail still own this, just can't find a buyer, however Green Lane is rented! Makes sense ::)
So who owns Marple sorting office .
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So who owns Marple sorting office .
I'm pretty sure it is on a very long lease from the council because the PO were demanding £millions to relinquish the lease when the council were touting the site for a supermarket.
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I'm pretty sure it is on a very long lease from the council because the PO were demanding £millions to relinquish the lease when the council were touting the site for a supermarket.
Thank you .interesting .so if it does come vacant cant see the councill not wanting to sell .
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I'm pretty sure it is on a very long lease from the council because the PO were demanding £millions to relinquish the lease when the council were touting the site for a supermarket.
So does this mean the council will be demanding significant compensation from Royal Mail for breaking the lease? Or has the contract been poorly drawn up so that it can't?
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Assuming the lease has been in place for a long time, it is likely that the payment to the council is less then they can get from another tenant.
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Assuming the lease has been in place for a long time, it is likely that the payment to the council is less then they can get from another tenant.
The post office we were told had a 100 year lease on it /sixty years left if i can remember .
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Is Red Bear's internet connection down?
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Is Red Bear's internet connection down?
What has that got to do with this thread?
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What has that got to do with this thread?
Well......red666bear has in the past been a vociferous defender of the Royal Mail and its home in Marple, saying the sorting office would never leave.
See http://www.marple-uk.com/smf/index.php?topic=4927.msg41575#msg41575
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Well......red666bear has in the past been a vociferous defender of the Royal Mail and its home in Marple, saying the sorting office would never leave.
See http://www.marple-uk.com/smf/index.php?topic=4927.msg41575#msg41575
Perhaps hes not a posti anymore .
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Perhaps hes not a posti anymore .
Perhaps he's a she.
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Those residents who signed my petition will be receiving a full update from me via letter over the next few days (if you haven't already received it). As soon as I have been give an update - I will ensure you're all updated too.
We've received William Wragg's letter. Enclosed with it is a letter addressed to him from the Chief Executive of Royal Mail Group. On the subject of collecting undelivered mail, it is non-committal. It says that they attempt to deliver to a neighbour (do they? - not where we live they don't!) It also says you can request a free redelivery on another day, to the same address or another one in the same postcode area.
But essentially they are not denying that if this scheme goes ahead, when we need to collect undelivered mail we will have to go to the Green Lane sorting office in Stockport to do it.
But what did we expect when it was privatised. There are already fewer collections, no doubt the Saturday deliveries and collections will end soon, and the much prized universal postal service is only guaranteed for another five years, until 2021.
If I were the Queen I'd be embarrassed to be associated with it, and I'd tell them to remove my head from their stamps!
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We've received William Wragg's letter. Enclosed with it is a letter addressed to him from the Chief Executive of Royal Mail Group. On the subject of collecting undelivered mail, it is non-committal. It says that they attempt to deliver to a neighbour (do they? - not where we live they don't!) It also says you can request a free redelivery on another day, to the same address or another one in the same postcode area.
But essentially they are not denying that if this scheme goes ahead, when we need to collect undelivered mail we will have to go to the Green Lane sorting office in Stockport to do it.
But what did we expect when it was privatised. There are already fewer collections, no doubt the Saturday deliveries and collections will end soon, and the much prized universal postal service is only guaranteed for another five years, until 2021.
If I were the Queen I'd be embarrassed to be associated with it, and I'd tell them to remove my head from their stamps!
Does any one know if the sorting office is still closing .
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Well......red666bear has in the past been a vociferous defender of the Royal Mail and its home in Marple, saying the sorting office would never leave.
See http://www.marple-uk.com/smf/index.php?topic=4927.msg41575#msg41575
Don't blame Red666Bear. Staff are usually the last to know and are often lied to in these matters.
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The post office we were told had a 100 year lease on it /sixty years left if i can remember .
If your company is big enough you can get round anything. Anyway, the owners of the land may have other ideas for its more profitable future.
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If your company is big enough you can get round anything. Anyway, the owners of the land may have other ideas for its more profitable future.
Small supermarket perhaps ,
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Don't blame Red666Bear. Staff are usually the last to know and are often lied to in these matters.
I'd always assumed that Red666Bear was expressing what he wanted to happen, rather than what would actually happen, as he never had any basis for his assertions other than the PO having a lease on the building with x amount of years left.
If your company is big enough you can get round anything. Anyway, the owners of the land may have other ideas for its more profitable future.
It's not so much a case of getting round anything, as it is people misunderstanding what a legal contract generally means. Generally, a legal contract will define who pays whom, and how much, for any given set of circumstances. So in this case, the lease doesn't prevent the PO moving elsewhere (or the landlord kicking them out) it just sets the price that each must pay the other if either happens.
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Small supermarket perhaps ,
If it was going to happen, it would have started happening by now. It's dead in the water, surely.
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If it was going to happen, it would have started happening by now. It's dead in the water, surely.
I think you're right unless the sorting office closes, this might instill a new dynamic if there is no need to compensate Royal Mail to end their lease. It all seems very quiet, do we know if there have been any firm decisions made about the possible closure?
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If it was going to happen, it would have started happening by now. It's dead in the water, surely.
Why is it dead in the water ,
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Why is it dead in the water ,
Was it ever alive?
It was proposed as a spoiling tactic to prevent Asda (or anyone else) getting planning permission to build a store on the hibbert lane campus. A lot of us on here felt that the proposals weren't really viable - poor location, poor parking (made worse by the existence of the development), not very accessible and expensive to build due to the topography of the plot.
Closure of the sorting office might make development on this plot cheaper (no relocation costs) but whomever it is will still have to buy out the lease, etc.
It's therefore not really surprising that since the Asda planning application was officially closed, there's not been a peep from anyone interested in reviving the idea.
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I think you're right unless the sorting office closes, this might instill a new dynamic if there is no need to compensate Royal Mail to end their lease.
Maybe so, although my recollection from when the site appraisal was done a while back was that there were fundamental problems with the site (sloping, restricted, and difficult vehicle access, especially for the huge articulated trucks that supermarkets use) which made it basically unattractive to possible supermarket tenants.
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Small supermarket perhaps ,
Amazon, you are obsessed. Ever thought of counselling?
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Maybe so, although my recollection from when the site appraisal was done a while back was that there were fundamental problems with the site (sloping, restricted, and difficult vehicle access, especially for the huge articulated trucks that supermarkets use) which made it basically unattractive to possible supermarket tenants.
The land was formerly used for housing which was demolished under slum clearance in the 1950s. "They" keep going on about the shortage of housing so why not use the land for affordable housing (or better still for council housing).
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Amazon, you are obsessed. Ever thought of counselling?
With what .
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With what .A small supermarket on the site of the sorting office not the whole carpark .as some seem to think i ment .
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Visited the sorting office this morning to collect a parcel - it was really busy. This is not a complaint - I'm just pointing out what a useful convenient service it provides. It would be a real pain in the butt if we had to go to Stockport for this.
Anyone have an update on plans to close the office? I had intended to ask when I called in, but it was too busy!
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Visited the sorting office this morning to collect a parcel - it was really busy. This is not a complaint - I'm just pointing out what a useful convenient service it provides. It would be a real pain in the butt if we had to go to Stockport for this.
Anyone have an update on plans to close the office? I had intended to ask when I called in, but it was too busy!
No one knows sorting office were they are suposed to be going Stockport is not large enough ,most of it is used By Amazon sorters .
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Been told both Marple and Bredbury sorting offices will be closing in January/February 2018 and moving into Stockport delivery office.
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Been told both Marple and Bredbury sorting offices will be closing in January/February 2018 and moving into Stockport delivery office.
Looks like that's confirmed here: https://www.williamwragg.org.uk/news/william-wragg-expresses-disappointment-royal-mail-decision-close-local-delivery-offices
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Thanks for that link Mark.
They key sentence is 'Customers in Bredbury and Marple will be able to collect any undeliverable mail from local post offices.'
If that's the case then I don't see much of a problem with it.
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Thanks for that link Mark.
They key sentence is 'Customers in Bredbury and Marple will be able to collect any undeliverable mail from local post offices.'
If that's the case then I don't see much of a problem with it.
If that's the case, it will actually be a better solution for the majority of people - the current collection times at the sorting office are not very user friendly.
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If that's the case, it will actually be a better solution for the majority of people - the current collection times at the sorting office are not very user friendly.
You can allready collect from post offices , they just need to get there act to gether and tell people .
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You can allready collect from post offices , they just need to get there act to gether and tell people .
How do we do that at the moment then @amazon ?
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How do we do that at the moment then @amazon ?
Tell them go to sorting office say you want your parcell or post leaving at your local post office .
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You can allready collect from post offices , they just need to get there act to gether and tell people .
There is a "small charge" for this. 70p according to Post Office website missed delivery section.
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You either tell them online, or you phone up. It's straight forward to arrange. Done it myself a few times.
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What would you like to see replace the sorting office at Marple .When it closes in jan feb 2018 .
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Somewhere I can pick up internet orders for free regardless of the company that transported them....
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Somewhere I can pick up internet orders for free regardless of the company that transported them....
+1 ^^^^
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That's basically Doddle (https://www.doddle.com/) although it's not free. And they wouldn't need the whole site. Just a shop. But to make it work you need a critical mass of customers to pay for the shop. I used to live near a branch. It closed down.
Some years ago, someone did try doing parcel pickup from pubs but I don't think that runs any more, probably cos no one used it.
Basically most people get parcels delivered to home, neighbours or workplace.
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If that's the case, it will actually be a better solution for the majority of people - the current collection times at the sorting office are not very user friendly.
Even though now I have moved out of Marple i use this service in Yorkshire - there is a 70p charge to use this service, when you collect from a post office.
But I also thought stockport sorting office closed along time ago???
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Even though now I have moved out of Marple i use this service in Yorkshire - there is a 70p charge to use this service, when you collect from a post office.
But I also thought stockport sorting office closed along time ago???
The old one in the centre (near the theatre) closed years ago. The new one is at Green Lane - a fair walk from the centre and a pain to get to by car. This is why I'm very annoyed at the closure. Can see no benefits apart from greater profits for shareholders.
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...Can see no benefits apart from greater profits for shareholders.
Nothing wrong with that. These profits eventually get fed back into the economy. If there were no profits the economy would not grow.
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The old one in the centre (near the theatre) closed years ago. The new one is at Green Lane - a fair walk from the centre and a pain to get to by car. This is why I'm very annoyed at the closure. Can see no benefits apart from greater profits for shareholders.
The primary duty of any any PLC is to deliver shareholder value. The Royal Mail is not a social enterprise. It has no obligations to make your life particularly easy.
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Indeed, but I suspect that this is not yet widely understood yet. After all, the Royal Mail was only privatised four years ago, after a mere 500 years of public ownership!
I think the lack of understanding may well be because of the name. Not unreasonably, people may assume that any organisation using the name of our monarchy must surely belong to the nation.
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Not unreasonably, people may assume that any organisation using the name of our monarchy must surely belong to the nation.
Like the Royal Oak or the Royal Scot?
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The primary duty of any any PLC is to deliver shareholder value. The Royal Mail is not a social enterprise. It has no obligations to make your life particularly easy.
The primary duty of any company is to behave honourably in making a profit. Any decent company would rather shut down than fail in its moral obligations to its customers, just as any honourable man or woman would rather resign and if necessary live in relative poverty than be part of a company which behaved dishonourably. Of course a viable business must make a profit, but that is only one part of its job. If it can't make a profit in an honourable manner, it shouldn't be in business.
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The primary duty of any company is to behave honourably in making a profit. Any decent company would rather shut down than fail in its moral obligations to its customers, just as any honourable man or woman would rather resign and if necessary live in relative poverty than be part of a company which behaved dishonourably. Of course a viable business must make a profit, but that is only one part of its job. If it can't make a profit in an honourable manner, it shouldn't be in business.
That may be your definition. But ultimately a company can do what it wants as long as it obeys by the laws of the land. A company can - if it wants - treat its customers absolutely appallingly if it wants to. It can pay its staff a pittance, whilst rewarding those at the top massively if it wants. And sometimes it will even make good profits.
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That may be your definition. But ultimately a company can do what it wants as long as it obeys by the laws of the land. A company can - if it wants - treat its customers absolutely appallingly if it wants to. It can pay its staff a pittance, whilst rewarding those at the top massively if it wants. And sometimes it will even make good profits.
The postmen and women are having a meeting to decide weather to start industrial action about going to green lane stockport ,surly if a firm realocates and you keep the same job its up to you to get there .or find another job .
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The postmen and women are having a meeting to decide weather to start industrial action about going to green lane stockport ,surly if a firm realocates and you keep the same job its up to you to get there .or find another job .
whether
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whether
Been quite nice today .
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The postmen and women are having a meeting to decide weather to start industrial action about going to green lane stockport ,surly if a firm realocates and you keep the same job its up to you to get there .or find another job .
It depends what it says in their contracts. If there is a mobility clause, providing for the possibility of relocation of the place of employment, then they would have to move with the job, or leave.
If there is no mobility clause then the employer may have to make them redundant, and pay the appropriate level of compensation.
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It depends what it says in their contracts. If there is a mobility clause, providing for the possibility of relocation of the place of employment, then they would have to move with the job, or leave.
If there is no mobility clause then the employer may have to make them redundant, and pay the appropriate level of compensation.
Or offer to redeploy them to a suitable alternative role - which if refused would mean that they aren't eligible for redundancy as it would then be their choice that they are leaving, not the company's.
That, of course, comes down to what you deem to be "suitable". Common sense says that for almost all of the staff in question a move to Stockport would be suitable and reasonable*. However, Unions often have different definition of this from the rest of us...
*of course there is always the potential that the personal circumstances of a particular individual will mean that in their case it is not.
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Most contracts I have had have had a definition for "reasonable", documented in miles. After all, businesses move location all the time, and you don't want arguments about these things.
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Most contracts I have had have had a definition for "reasonable", documented in miles. After all, businesses move location all the time, and you don't want arguments about these things.
The Bredbury sorting office is allso involved with this .Rumour has it and its rumour only at the moment next to green lane there is a large plot of land that belongs to stockport fencing the post office is looking at buying or renting this for parking of there vans .,
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Remember that there is no public transport at the time they need to get to work, so "reasonable" should take into account walking to the new location.
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Remember that there is no public transport at the time they need to get to work, so "reasonable" should take into account walking to the new location.
I think you'll find most employers will simply assume that the member of staff will sort themselves out regardless of shift. After all, few nurses live right next to hospitals. Not all the fire staff working at Marple will live in Marple. And how many of Asda's shift workers will be able to walk back to their abode when they finish their shift.
Basically, if you take a job with anti-social hours, be prepared to get to your workplace.
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Not all the fire staff working at Marple will live in Marple.
I understand the point you are trying to make and if you'd referred to Stockport Fire Station then you would be correct. However, Marple operates an "On Call" system outside of normal hours and all firefighters have to live within 5 minutes of the station.
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I understand the point you are trying to make and if you'd referred to Stockport Fire Station then you would be correct. However, Marple operates an "On Call" system outside of normal hours and all firefighters have to live within 5 minutes of the station.
That I clearly wasn't aware.
But obviously there are many other examples.
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I think you'll find most employers will simply assume that the member of staff will sort themselves out regardless of shift. After all, few nurses live right next to hospitals. Not all the fire staff working at Marple will live in Marple. And how many of Asda's shift workers will be able to walk back to their abode when they finish their shift.
Basically, if you take a job with anti-social hours, be prepared to get to your workplace.
But a lot of them choose to take the job because they could walk to work. Hence the job they choose to take is being removed from them.
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But a lot of them choose to take the job because they could walk to work. Hence the job they choose to take is being removed from them.
Then the reality is, that if it's that much of a problem, they'll need to find another job. Subject to the terms of an individual's contract, it's really not a particularly unreasonable ask for an employer to say to their staff "sorry, but we're moving your job five miles down the road."
I've had location moves a couple of times - one seven miles, one nine. I've been there. It was only the one that said "Yep, you'll need to move 200 miles" where I put my foot down (and took the redundancy cash.)
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Then the reality is, that if it's that much of a problem, they'll need to find another job. Subject to the terms of an individual's contract, it's really not a particularly unreasonable ask for an employer to say to their staff "sorry, but we're moving your job five miles down the road."
Depends whether they want employees who are loyal and prepared to go the extra mile for the company and the customers. Or employees who feel aggrieved and take every opportunity to exploit and abuse the system. You reap what you sow.
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Depends whether they want employees who are loyal and prepared to go the extra mile for the company and the customers. Or employees who feel aggrieved and take every opportunity to exploit and abuse the system. You reap what you sow.
You know what, some will feel annoyed. Others will just shrug, and get on with it. Others will celebrate as it will mean they can get to work more easily than before. Every relocation I've had, there's been winners and there's been losers. First time it happened to me, I got a commute that was five minutes longer (company consolidated sites). Second time it was reduced by 20 minutes (company moved to bigger premises.)
In both cases, the employer did the maths. They looked at where its employers were based. What was their likely travel time, travel costs. They tried to soften the blow by offering assistance to those whose travel costs were impacted negatively by the move. There are ways to soften the blow. There are things that can be done.
But the fact of the matter is that most - if not all - of those staff will have signed a contract with a mobility clause in it. A clause that says they agree to a move like this. A clause most of them will have agreed to before starting the job.
You can find a copy of the Royal Mail's seasonal worker engagement contract online at
http://www.royalmailgroup.com/sites/default/files/Christmas%20Casual%202016%20Terms%20Of%20Engagement%20V1_0.pdf
Here's its mobility clause:
Your initial place of work during any engagement will be shown in your offer
letter. However, the needs of Royal Mail require mobility. During any period of engagement therefore, you may be required to work elsewhere other than at your initial place of work. You will not be required to work outside the UK in the course of your duties.
It's gloriously vague. But it's there in black and white. This is obviously a seasonal contract, but I'd put good money on the standard contract being similar.
The only recourse someone has here is if they can prove the request to work elsewhere is completely unreasonable (see https://www.gov.uk/employer-relocation-your-rights).
i.e. Royal Mail telling staff in Marple that they must relocate to Oban in the Scottish Highlands is probably unreasonable. Telling them they need to go to Stockport, isn't ever going to be so.
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But a lot of them choose to take the job because they could walk to work.
But the fact of the matter is that most - if not all - of those staff will have signed a contract with a mobility clause in it. A clause that says they agree to a move like this.
And the moral of the tale is - read the small print. ;)
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The Bredbury sorting office is allso involved with this .Rumour has it and its rumour only at the moment next to green lane there is a large plot of land that belongs to stockport fencing the post office is looking at buying or renting this for parking of there vans .,
The plot of land has been rented by Royal Mail from Stockport Fencing for many years now. There have been offers to sell/buy the land over the years but either the price has been too high or no funds available.
The site is currently used to park part of Stockport delivery offices small van fleet.