This article is from page 13 of the 2006-01-31 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 13 JPG
LOCALS in Newmarket-on-Fergus and Sixmilebridge are vehemently opposed to plans by An Post to move their sorting offices to Shannon in three weeks’ time.
Although it has yet to be finalised, An Post has suggested that the move will be made on February 20. People living in the two areas believe this move will inconvenience them.
Five postmen who operate out of Sixmilebridge and four, who work in Newmarket-on-Fergus, will have to work out of Shannon, where the letters will be sorted, if the move gets the green light.
“Why are they doing it? The postmen don’t want to move,” one local told The Clare People .
Another local in Sixmilebridge said that this could spell the death knell for the post office, in a village where there is no bank.
“Public support is needed, to prevent this,” said a local.
However, An Post said while the proposed change was been considered, nothing had yet been finalised.
“There have been some customer service issues there recently and any changes will take account of the growth in mail volumes and delivery points in the areas,” said spokeswoman Anna McHugh.
She said, currently, the issue was an “internal matter and the people in the areas would be notified, once it was finalised.
Asked would people from those areas have to travel to Shannon to pick up registered letters and parcels, she said, “It is too early to say that. That is all hypothetical.”