Plans to scrap a Cumbrian delivery office by Royal Mail have been shelved following a community campaign.
Royal Mail announced today that its proposal to close the office in Sedbergh would not go ahead.
Royal Mail’s senior public affairs manager Michael Hogg, they said: “After a review of the operation in Sedbergh, we have taken the decision to not relocate the operation to Kendal Delivery Office. Customers will see no changes to the service we offer.”
There were fears that moving the delivery office would threatens the viability of the Post Office – which receives a third of its income from renting the delivery office out to Royal Mail – and the outreach services it runs in Endmoor, Dent and Barbon.
In November, Westmorland and Furness MP Tim Farron presented a 2,000-name petition to Parliament calling for Royal Mail to drop their plans to shut the delivery office.
Mr Farron said: “I’m absolutely over the moon that Royal Mail have backed down and decided not to close Sedbergh’s delivery office.
“This move would have seriously threatened Sedbergh’s post office which is so important for local residents.
“I’m so grateful to everyone who signed our petition and put pressure on Royal Mail, in particular local Liberal Democrat councillors Ian Mitchell and Hazel Hodgson, as well as Sedbergh’s postmaster Peter Jackson.
“I’d also like to thank postal workers in Sedbergh who have had to put up with a lot of uncertainty over the past six months. I’m grateful for their hard work and dedication.
“This is another fantastic victory for community campaigning.”