OKEHAMPTON has suffered yet another blow to employment, with the news that the City Link depot in the town will close in August. Between 15 and 20 jobs will be affected.
The news was met with sad resignation from civic leaders, but one of them, former mayor Tony Leech, said the town had to send out a positive message.
Tim Jones, chair of the Devon and Cornwall Business Council said the depot was 'definitely going' in around six weeks' time, with operations being run from the company's Plymouth site.
Staff at the depot, located on the Exeter Road Industrial Estate, will be offered jobs at the Plymouth site.
Mr Jones said:?'The staff at City Link certainly have been offered the chance to relocate to the Plymouth depot. That might be tangible for most of those staff to move jobs there, with Plymouth not so far away.'
City Link provides courier services to businesses across the country. The company employs more than 6,000 people, operates 3,000 vehicles and has over 85 depots nationwide. The company handles 350,000 parcels daily.
West Devon Borough Councillor Christine Marsh said: 'The closure of the depot is on the cards. The business is franchised, so people lease or own their own vans.
'It is another distribution depot in the county that will probably go. Ultimately, it all is coming down to the costs of where we live, here in the West Country, and companies facing up to that.
'If companies are looking to leave we can't force them to stay. It is a sad reflection of the times we live in.
'There will also surely be a knock-on effect to local businesses and people. It's just another blow to the town.'
West Devon Borough Councillor Tony Leech said the message to other businesses needed to be positive: 'We must continue to say Okehampton is open for business, and tell businesses to come here, both large and small.
'It is an extra hurdle for the town to get over. When we as a town are sending out the message that we are on the perfect road link with the A30, especially the industrial estate at the top of the town, just as some of the bigger companies are leaving, it's frustrating.
'We'll keep pushing Okehampton as a place for business, and the town will overcome this hurdle.'
The news comes just a week after the announcement that Kerry Ingredients on Exeter Road Industrial Estate was likely to close in March 2012 — 106 jobs at the factory are under threat, following the news that the company has to enter a 90-day consultation period to decide the factory's future.
City Link were unavailable for comment.