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Anger over post office closure consultation
6:03pm Wednesday 7th May 2008
POST Office management has dealt a bitter blow to the Cotswolds.
The company announced yesterday that all 13 threatened Post Offices in the area will close.
It will result in a great deal of hardship involving thousands of people
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, MP for the Cotswolds
News of the wave of closures was greeted with anger across the area.
Politicians described the decision as "incomprehensible, senseless and bonkers".
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, MP for the Cotswolds, said: "The consultation was a sham and a complete waste of time as Post Office Ltd had clearly already made up their minds and would not budge.
"This is caused entirely by the Government instructing the Post Office, its wholly owned subsidiary, to close 2,500 branches with no room for manoeuvre on this figure.
"This decision will have dire consequences for the people of the Cotswolds.
"It will result in a great deal of hardship involving thousands of people having to travel much further to obtain basic services which a sophisticated country such as ours should be able to provide at convenient locations."
Liberal Democrat councillors on the Cotswold District Council also expressed anger and disappointment.
District councillor Deryck Nash said: "The losses will be tragic for the communities where post offices close.
"The Government does not seem to listen to anyone about anything and we will do whatever we can to appeal against the closures."
Paul Hodgkinson, district councillor for the Churn Valley, is convinced the consultation has been a sham.
"It's ridiculous that after so much effort by so many of us not a single decision has been overturned by the Post Office. Hundreds have turned out for demonstrations and public meetings.
"While I'm pleased that Colesbourne stores will still be able to offer postal services and Rendcomb hopefully the same, the decision to close Stratton is frankly bonkers."
County councillor for Cirencester Roger Brown, who has been leading the fight against the closures, said that the only hope now was to take the fight to the European Union.
He said: "Plan B is to launch an appeal under the European Human Rights legislation (section 8) on the grounds that the Government has failed to consider properly discrimination against disabled and the elderly.
"I think it is the only thing left for us now."
Your Say YourSwindon
Robert Feal-Martinez, Swindon says...
9:09pm Wed 7 May 08
TonyJanson, Chippenham says...
7:16am Thu 8 May 08
Another Ginger, looking back says...
8:39am Thu 8 May 08
Dr Beeching.
I wonder how we'll be coping in 20 or 30 years after we've thrown the baby out with the bathwater. Again.
Granted, it's a lot easier to re-instate a Post Office network than a rail network, but times do change, and what's right for now, today, may be viewed as a huge mistake 20 years from now, when normal folk can no longer afford to drive and are forced to shop locally...
Be careful what you wish for.
TonyJanson, Chippenham says...
8:49am Thu 8 May 08
Another Ginger wrote:Year 2028 : I ordered the weekly shopping on my mobile phone over an hour ago and it still hasn`t arrived. What sort of service is this ? PEOPLE WILL STILL BE MOANING ! !
Yes, times do change, but I've got one scary warning to this mass closure; Dr Beeching. I wonder how we'll be coping in 20 or 30 years after we've thrown the baby out with the bathwater. Again. Granted, it's a lot easier to re-instate a Post Office network than a rail network, but times do change, and what's right for now, today, may be viewed as a huge mistake 20 years from now, when normal folk can no longer afford to drive and are forced to shop locally... Be careful what you wish for.
angry monkey, Swindon says...
8:58am Thu 8 May 08
vigil wrote:Agree. Post office branches are becomming obsolete. I would suggest that the vast majority of people have no need to go to a post office .... ever.
It will result in a great deal of hardship involving thousands of people having to travel much further to obtain basic services which a sophisticated country such as ours should be able to provide at convenient locations."Get real. You don't need a post office every day. Once a week will do, and you can combine that with another journey into a town. Don't fool me that you don't travel somewhere at least once a week. There is many money problems for the young and the middle aged right now, due to job losses and the recession, so people will just have to ACCEPT that the cake isn't iced anymore. Put up some tolerance and shut up the moaning. Do we need a war to make this happen?
People will look back in the future and wonder what the fuss was about
Harry Potter, Swindon says...
9:10am Thu 8 May 08
angry monkey wrote:You clearly havent been to the PO in WHSmith on a weekday lunchtime. Always queues of approx 30 people & very slow service with just 4 people serving of a possible 7. Its pathetic!
vigil wrote:Agree. Post office branches are becomming obsolete. I would suggest that the vast majority of people have no need to go to a post office .... ever. People will look back in the future and wonder what the fuss was aboutIt will result in a great deal of hardship involving thousands of people having to travel much further to obtain basic services which a sophisticated country such as ours should be able to provide at convenient locations."Get real. You don't need a post office every day. Once a week will do, and you can combine that with another journey into a town. Don't fool me that you don't travel somewhere at least once a week. There is many money problems for the young and the middle aged right now, due to job losses and the recession, so people will just have to ACCEPT that the cake isn't iced anymore. Put up some tolerance and shut up the moaning. Do we need a war to make this happen?
angry monkey, Swindon says...
9:27am Thu 8 May 08
My original post was aimed more at outling post offices rather than ones in the centre of large towns
Robert Feal-Martinez, Swindon says...
11:53am Thu 8 May 08
Tuesday, 06 May 2008
A review commissioned by the government on the UK postal service sector shows that EU policy is real reason for the decline in Royal Mail and lies behind the closure of thousands of post offices.
Competition brought about by EU regulation has seen the company losing millions of pounds while small businesses and domestic customers have seen no significant benefit, the report says.
David Bland, former South East chairman of Post Watch, said the report "contained no surprises."
He added: "It says the obvious that the whole change and downturn in Royal Mail's fortunes is driven by the EU and there is no prospect of EU policy changing."
UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage said: "It's no coincidence that since the postal market was opened up to competition the Royal Mail has lost money for the first time.
"It has been left with the unprofitable parts of the business, such as domestic post, ensuring collections and the 'final mile' while other businesses have creamed off the profitable business post.
"It's no wonder that post offices up and down the country are closing and Royal Mail has had to cut so many services: it really has been left with the rough end of the deal."
* EU "liberalisation" came into force on 1 January 2006. In 2006-2007 Royal Mail reported losses of £29 million for the first time.
* 60% of the costs of Royal Mail are in the final mile delivery which new entrants to the postal market pay a small fee to RM for providing.
* The report says: "Returning to the days of statutory postal monopolies is not a policy option in the European Union.
Your sayYourSwindon
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vigil, swindon says...
7:28pm Wed 7 May 08
Get real. You don't need a post office every day. Once a week will do, and you can combine that with another journey into a town. Don't fool me that you don't travel somewhere at least once a week. There is many money problems for the young and the middle aged right now, due to job losses and the recession, so people will just have to ACCEPT that the cake isn't iced anymore. Put up some tolerance and shut up the moaning. Do we need a war to make this happen?