Postal Services in Scotland - Scottish Affairs Committee Contents


Written evidence from Graham Neal

It was very interesting to note from your article in the press that you are looking for comments as to how the Royal Mail Group could expand its services when our Post Office in this village was closed about eighteen months ago. The current provision being totally unsatisfactory.

Before the closure, at a public meeting in the village, we were addressed by [a Royal Mail employee] who at best could be described as condescending. She tried to explain that closure was necessary due to a fall in customer numbers.

As many of the services had been removed from Post Offices such as payment of pensions, benefits, TV licence renewal and with other services such as payment of utility bills, incurring such horrendous charges, it guaranteed that customers would be using other methods for payment leading to falling numbers at the counters.

We were promised a mobile unit which would replace the Post Office which would have all the facilities including waiting space for a number of customers.

In reality, we have a small LDV van for a very limited number of hours and with no waiting space which affords any privacy for customer's transactions. Waiting outside the van for service in winter in North East Scotland is no joke.

So, the only sensible suggestion can be the re-instatement of a permanent service with the full range of facilities that we all enjoyed some years ago and putting "SERVICE" back into the equation. These sentiments I am sure will be echoed in many communities small and large throughout the U.K.

19 November 2010


 
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