"STOCKPORT POSTMARK TO GO" ROYAL MAIL TELL MP

10.35.00am GMT Wed 25th Mar 2009

Royal Mail have told a local MP that Stockport's postmark is to be abolished when the town's Sorting Office moves to Manchester later this year.

Hazel Grove MP Andrew Stunell was given the shock news in a reply from Royal Mail bosses to his protest over the closure of the Stockport mail sorting office.

"I wrote to Royal Mail Chief Executive Adam Crozier objecting strongly to the loss of Stockport Sorting Office and its move to Manchester, and asking for a guarantee that Stockport's postmark, stamped on all outgoing mail for decades, would not be lost. Now they've come clean, and said that will go too.

"It is outrageous, and simply adds insult to injury. They want to take away the posties' jobs, delay the post, and now take away our postal identity as well. I intend to fight them hard."

The Royal Mail's reply came in a letter to Mr Stunell from the Royal Mail's External Relations Manager in the North of England, who admitted that once operations had been transferred from Stockport to Manchester, mail posted in the SK post code area would all be stamped with a Manchester rather than a Stockport Postmark.

Stockport's representatives have reacted with anger at the plan, with Stockport Council's Leader Cllr Dave Goddard saying he is furious, and joining Mr Stunell in condemning the decision.

Commenting, Andrew Stunell said:

"This is a slap in the face for our area. We are not a suburb of Manchester, but a proud and successful town. What I find extraordinary is that if I hadn't asked the question we would only have found out when it started to happen. They tried to sneak it in under the radar.

"Stopfordians have a strong local identity, and take pride in their heritage. They do not want to see that threatened by being downgraded to being a bit of Manchester. This is the first small step on a slippery slope - maybe the Post Code will be next?

"Their Postmark plan just underlines how the whole loss of Stockport Sorting Office is part of a crazy centralisation project that pays no attention to local communities and local needs. I will be tackling Royal Mail again and taking up the fight against this ridiculous decision."

ENDS