Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock MP Allan Dorans has today warned it will be ‘unacceptable’ if any Royal Mail customer service points in his constituency are axed.
Royal Mail is currently undertaking a full, nationwide review of their customer service points (CSPs) and plans to close an ‘overwhelming number’ of their them at local delivery offices.
And Mr Dorans said he is “deeply worried” over the prospect of losing any in his Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock ward.
He’s written to Kemi Badenoch MP, Secretary of State for the Department for Business and Trade, urging her to intervene to stop these plans, which will also see a reduction in the opening times of those which remain.
CSPs provide a staffed location for packages to be stored and accessed by those who may not be at home to accept deliveries.
They also allow customers to post items quickly and efficiently.
However, with plans to shut most CSP’s, customers will no longer be able to access their parcels so easily.
The planned closures will also see staff face a significant threat to their jobs.
Mr Dorans said: “I am deeply worried to hear of the plans to close large numbers of Royal Mail Customer Service Points, which many of my constituents depend upon for essential services or in many cases, for employment.
“During a cost-of-living crisis, this is not acceptable.
“Customer Service Points are an indispensable part of the service Royal Mail provides, and it would be a real mistake to close these down.
“That’s why I have written to the new Business Secretary, on behalf of numerous constituents who have expressed their concerns to me, urging her to intervene.”
In August last year, Ayrshire Live told how plans to push back the opening times of Royal Mail delivery offices all over Ayrshire were being considered.
Hubs in Ayr, Cumnock, Dalry, Irvine, Kilmarnock, Kilwinning, Prestwick and Troon were among those across the UK being assessed for the changes, with some facing the prospect of their opening times being pushed back by more than two hours.
At the time concerns were raised that the knock-on effect would result in customers’ packages being delivered later in the afternoon and, in some cases, at night.
However, a Royal Mail spokesperson said this week: “In November 2022 Royal Mail announced a review of its 1,200 Customer Service Points to determine the optimum number of locations following a c.50% drop in footfall since the pandemic.
"Having completed the first stage of the review and considered a range of options, we have decided to maintain the current estate of Customer Service Points as we seek to further improve our first-time delivery rates.
“Following successful trials, Royal Mail will additionally roll out automatic next day redeliveries for missed parcels in the coming months.
"This is designed to make it even easier for customers to receive parcels at home, without the need to travel to a Customer Service Point.
"This builds on Royal Mail’s introduction of a range of alternative delivery options for greater convenience in recent years, including free redelivery, delivery to a neighbour, the option to leave parcels in a Safeplace and inflight redirections through the App and website.
"As footfall continues to decrease, the next stage of this review will focus on ensuring that opening hours match demand.”
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