Letter from Robert Goodwill MP
Thank you very much indeed for your letter dated
6 December, inviting my comments regarding the post office closure
programme.
Although the announcement of closures was headlined
as the start of a six-week consultation period, the general feeling
amongst post office proprietors was that it was very unlikely
that any of the decisions would be overturned. One postmaster
in particular told me that if a decision on one post office was
overturned, as had happened in some other parts of the country,
then another post office nearby would be scheduled for closure
instead. This puts a tremendous pressure on businesses which are
scheduled for closure.
The other point which has been made to me by
some owners of post offices which were not scheduled for closure
was that they were the ones who were very small and uneconomical,
or in some cases they had indicated that they would be keen to
be put on the list for closure and therefore the 28-month severance
payment. In every case that I am aware of these post offices were
not scheduled for closure. I can only presume that the Post Office
took a view that these offices would "wither on the vine"
and therefore the scheduled closures will be added to by businesses
which are considering their position. In some cases, when these
post offices close it will mean that people are even in a worse
situation regarding access to a post office.
The other point I would make is that there is
a general feeling in rural parts of my constituency that they
are once again being disregarded and forced to make long and sometimes
difficult journeys to access a post office. For example, in the
case of Sandsend, it was explained that they could access the
post office at Lythe over undulating terrain. This presumably
refers to Lythe Bank which is one of the steepest hills in my
part of the constituency. Hardly a hill that pensioners could
traverse on foot. Also, no consideration has been made of the
difficulty of getting into Whitby during the height of the season.
I know myself, from bitter experience how difficult it is to find
anywhere to park in Whitby and even if older people do have access
to a car, it is very unlikely they will be able to park within
several hundred yards of the post offices which are now available
in Whitby itself for them to use.
I know these are specific points which you are
not able to take up, however, I hope this puts you in the picture
as to how angry and dismayed many of my constituents are about
the way their post offices are being taken away. An anger which
is even more acute in the owners of these businesses, who in many
cases have invested much time and money in developing what are
vibrant local businesses and which are now put under threat by
the removal of the post office from their premises.
Best wishes in your travails.
21 December 2007
| 
