IMPORTANT assurances have been given about the future of post and parcel services in Tenbury including a promise that there will be no compulsory redundancies for postal workers in the town.

As well as securing a pledge that there will be no forced job losses in the town, people will be able to collect parcels and other post.

This move follow talks between Royal Mail and Harriett Baldwin MP, whose West Worcestershire constituency includes Tenbury.

She has secured assurances over the changes to postal services in Tenbury after it was confirmed that the proposed relocation to Bowkett’s Nisa store in Market Square will go ahead.

The move will result in longer opening hours at the new store but the change is expected to impact on the town’s sorting office.

Royal Mail, which manages the sorting office, has confirmed that customers will be able to collect parcels at the new Post Office in the supermarket and the changes will not impact on the delivery of local mail.

Royal Mail has also informed Harriett Baldwin that there are no plans for compulsory redundancies as a result of these changes.

“I know that Malcolm Chase has been hoping to retire for some time and I wish him all the best for the future,” said Harriett Baldwin.

“The Post Office has assured me that customers will benefit from these changes as there will be longer opening hours at Bowkett’s Nisa store. People who have missed parcels will be able to collect them at the store as they did previously so no local person will be inconvenienced.

“My other priority has been to work with the Royal Mail – who run the sorting office – to reduce the impact that these changes will have on our local, much-loved posties.

“Notice was only served on the facility last week but I have had advanced conversations with the company on this issue and I am assured that there are no plans to force redundancies on the local workforce.

“Royal Mail will be assessing how this change impacts on future service delivery but I will continue to liaise with them to ensure that this remains a positive change both for Tenbury and those people who are employed by Royal Mail in the town.”

The planned move of the Post Office to the supermarket will take place early next year and it is also expected that there will be the opportunity to purchase foreign currency from new facility.

But the biggest concern was that parcels and other post that was not delivered would have to be collected from another town which might have been Leominster, Worcester or Kidderminster.

This is because at present the Post Office and Royal Mail Office are run by different businesses but within the same building.

It had been feared that the new Post Office in the supermarket would not have the necessary security for the storage of parcels and post.

This had concerned a number of businesses including The Regal which receives parcel deliveries most days.