Give us longer to decide

Apr 28 2008 by Brian Daniel, The Journal

A THIRD Northumberland council has called for communities to be given more time to have their say on possible post office closures.

Alnwick District Council has joined its counterparts at Tynedale and Castle Morpeth in demanding Post Office Ltd double the consultation period on likely branch closures in the county to ensure people on summer holidays have the chance to comment.

Post Office Ltd is expected to announce a number of proposed closures in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and parts of County Durham this summer as part of a major cost-cutting exercise which will see 2,500 axed nationwide.

A six-week consultation period is set to begin in July. But opponents, led by Tynedale, are arguing that holding the consultation over the summer holidays will mean fewer people respond, with many away and parish councils not meeting at that time of year.

They are seeking a 12-week consultation, which would run until late September, to allow more people to have their say.

Alnwick Council agreed to back Tynedale’s stance during an urgent discussion at a meeting of all members.

Roger Styring, leader of the former council, said yesterday: “It is such an important feature of rural Northumberland. To a party we are all opposed to closing these things.

“We want to protect our own interests in our villages because sometimes the post office is the only shop, the only point of contact.

There are lots of people in the rural areas who do not have internet banking and rely on post offices to give them cash.”

Alnwick Council is to invite its parish councils to discuss closures at a forum, to create a joint voice in addition to individual responses.

At Glanton, in Alnwick district, the post office is located in the only shop. Last year villagers collected over 200 signatures on a petition in support of its retention and passed it to Berwick MP Alan Beith.

The local parish council meets every two months and could therefore find it difficult to comment in six weeks depending on the date of its meetings.

A consultation period into the proposed closure of 14 branches in the south of County Durham started last month.