Office closure will damage mail service

Published: 21 April, 2011

• ROYAL Mail are planning to close the Rathbone Place Delivery Office which covers the postcodes for W1,WC1 and WC2. 

The office has been open since 1964 and was originally based in Wimpole Street. 

The closure of the Rathbone Place site will not only greatly affect residents who live within West End but also, more importantly, business mail, which makes up the majority of the volume of mail delivered within  the area. 

Small business will suffer, as the quality of service deteriorates once the office is relocated. Customers can expect later delivery times, as mail will be delivered from the Mount Pleasant mail centre in EC1. 

The only reason for the sale of the Rathbone Place site is to asset-strip and cash in on the value of the property.  

It is also rumoured that once Crossrail work is finished, the Tottenham Court Road end of Oxford Street will be paved and closed to incoming traffic, making it more difficult to access the W1 postcoded area from Mount Pleasant. 

Additionally, part of the Royal Mail plan is to close down the south London and east London mail centres, which will also affect Royal Mail’s ability to move mail around the capital. 

JOHN HART
Union of Communication Workers West End Branch Secretary