Select Committee on Business and Enterprise Written Evidence


Letter from Tim Boswell MP

  You kindly wrote to me on 6 December concerning the Post Office Network Change programme. I am enclosing some briefing comments on the process as it is applied locally.

  First I should record that the Post Office has made some effort to produce sensitive and rational solutions to meet its budgetary needs, and there is nothing locally which is self-evidently perverse or absurd, although there is substantial local pressure in connection with most of the seven offices earmarked for closure.

  My main concern relates to the degree of consultation with the Postmasters involved. I appreciate that this is a difficult issue in that in at least one case the pattern of the Post Office decision became known in advance and led to some rather irregular private briefing before any formal announcement. However, I am aware of at least two cases where it might have been possible to reach monetary agreement with the Postmasters to close an alternative Post Office (perhaps because the Postmaster was ready to retire), and I certainly feel it important that the Post Office should not close its mind to these situations and/or to those where there is strong community pressure to establish or enhance a community retail outlet. (Incidentally, the community in Sulgrave in a remote part of my constituency, where there is now no proposal to close the office, some years ago established a very thriving community retail shop which has together with postal services retained an important community hub for the village).

  I also feel it may be worth paying some attention to the possibility of more "lateral" solutions, particularly for special needs. One elderly and disabled lady commented to me that she would now be entirely dependent on lifts or the goodwill of her neighbour to get out to get her pension, and I am wondering whether the Post Office could consider some system of pre-booked "flying bus visits" to meet these needs by domiciliary visits.

31 December 2007





 
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