Concern at future of town centre post office
REGIONAL Member of the Senedd Suzy Davies fears that moving the Maesteg post office out of its current building will sever the link with the Royal Mail sorting office and lead to residents having to do a round trip of 25 miles in order to collect undelivered mail.
Welsh Conservative Mrs Davies said that while she was glad that the main post office would remain in the town centre temporarily, at a shop within the outdoor market, she was afraid that undelivered letters and parcels, which people can pick up at the moment from the post office, will no longer be accessible and that people may have to travel to the Royal Mail depot on Waterton Industrial estate in Bridgend to collect them.
She said: “We have the perfect arrangement in Maesteg presently with a single complex where the Post Office is at the front and the Royal Mail sorting and delivery office is in a linked building behind.
“Residents can go to the post office with the card left by the Royal Mail if they missed a delivery and are able to retrieve it as staff go through to the back and fetch it for them.
“But once the Post Office building closes and staff are moved down to the market that physical link will be broken.
“Royal Mail has very strict rules about allowing people onto its properties where vehicles are in and out following a tragic accident some years ago.
“I fear that people will not be able to just walk through the yard and go to the sorting office themselves to get their mail and parcels as used to happen in the past.
“I am waiting to get details from Royal Mail about what new arrangements will be put into place but I will be pressing them to retain some facility in Maesteg to do this.
“The increase in online shopping means that more parcels than ever are delivered during work hours so many are missed and parcels returned to the depot.
“If the undelivered items are taken back to Bridgend it would mean people from Maesteg travelling down to Brackla.
“Even with a car this will be time consuming and a total nuisance but without one it will be nigh-on impossible. It would take hours for people to get down to Bridgend and then try to get out to Waterton.
“There is no bus into the estate so people would probably have to walk from Coychurch if they managed to get a bus that far. And then do the journey in reverse to get home. And all to pick up a letter or parcel!
“I will be lobbying Royal Mail to come up with better arrangements.
“I am not sure whether the new post office shop would have enough room to store letters and parcels but it does not seem likely.
“So I will ask them to devise a system for people to walk through the yard at their depot to retrieve their items.
“Surely they can either segregate traffic and people in some way or perhaps have a very strict timeslot when people can walk in and out safely while the vans are not allowed to move.
“It should not beyond the wit of man in 21st century Britain to work something out.
“I am sorry that the Post Office is moving away from the purpose-built 1930s art deco building in the town centre where it has been for nearly 90 years.
“I understand that the move was not triggered by Post Office Counters or the private owners of the building but by the decision of the current postmaster to finish by the end of May.
“I am told the lease could be re-assigned to the new postmaster as has happened in the past. But at the moment, the Post Office is installing a temporary postmaster just to keep services going who is not able to take over the lease.
“I very much hope that in the future a new permanent postmaster can be recruited who will take over the lease of this building so that Post Office services can move back to their traditional home.
“But there is a possibility that it may never move back as a new postmaster is entitled to locate the post office in any suitable premises which could be in an existing shop or similar.
“Post Office Counters would have to approve this move though and they are currently advertising for a new permanent postmaster.”
Mrs Davies added that she was pleased that services were being kept going for the time being and welcomed the move by BCBC to make one of its empty shop units at the market available.
She added: “These shops are very well located right next to the bus station and in the heart of the town so it will be convenient for users.
“However, the problem of the undelivered mail is one that that has to be resolved quickly.”