Royal Mail offices to close as part of Wolverhampton centralisation plans

Bases in Bilston and Wombourne have been earmarked for closure in a move that would see around 75 workers moved to the main offices at Sun Street.

Staff in Bilston were told of the plans at a meeting this week and are said to be "furious".

The move could mean customers who live near the delivery offices having to travel to Sun Street to collect parcels. No job losses are thought to be planned.

Royal Mail said 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 the city council was up in July with no option to renew.

Decision making

Paul Hughes, who has worked at the Bilston delivery offices for around 10 years and is the Communication and Workers Union rep for the site, said: "There was a briefing and they confirmed they intend to close Bilston. It will mean all customers have to collect parcels from Wolverhampton.

"It was a pretty lacklustre briefing, it wasn't overly informative. Part of the reason is the building is not fit for purpose. But they have been left to rack and ruin, they are not being maintained. We have not been involved in the decision-making process. Their answer is that we will be involved further down the line."

Around 50 staff work at the Bilston delivery office, while the Wombourne site is about half the size.

Mr Hughes said discussions will be held with union bosses about next steps.

He said: "The workforce is furious. There is no parking at Wolverhampton for starters, people could end up paying £30 a week on public car parks.

"We are involving our customers at the moment and getting a general feeling from them. We're talking about starting petitions.

"I'm speaking to the area rep and the divisional rep in Birmingham to arrange meetings and find out what other actions are from there."

'Improve the working environment'

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "The proposed move to Wolverhampton would enable us to improve the working environment for our people and provide more space to sort mail securely, especially at our busy times of year.

"This is part of Royal Mail’s ongoing transformation of its business to increase the efficiency of its operation as well as providing delivery offices which are fit for purpose for our people and for our customers.

"We will undertake detailed planning before any operational move takes place to ensure a smooth transition for our operations, our people and the service we provide to our customers."

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.

Royal Mail has been contacted for comment.