Fight to save North post offices starts today
Jul 1 2008 by Paul James, The Journal
Minister's letter to The Journal
IN a letter to The Journal, Pat McFadden, Minister for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs, defended the closure plans.
He said: "The latest round of regional post office consultations began today in Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and Durham. While I know that no one wants to see Post Offices closing, it is clear that as a society we are using them a lot less as more and more services become available online.
"As a result, the Post Office has been losing custom and losing money. There are now about four million fewer customers a week compared to a few years ago and the network is losing £500,000 every single day. In fact, if it wasn’t for subsidies by the Government, thousands more branches would be under threat.
"Under this proposal, 93.2% of the population will see no change to the branch they currently use and 99.5% will see no change to the branch they currently use or will remain within one mile by road of an alternative outlet. Fifteen percent of the closure proposals were changed before the start of the local public consultation.
"The future for the post office network cannot be about turning the clock back and wishing away the changes in technology and communications that have taken place in recent years – changes that most of us have taken part in.
"It must be about developing new products and services which attract custom and about ensuring the viability of the network which remains after the current closures."
'This is our livelihood they're playing with'
A NORTHUMBERLAND postmistress who is included on a list of branches proposed for closure last night defied a ban on speaking out to hit out at Royal Mail.
Wendy Thackray is the owner of the only post office at Norham, near Berwick, one of many across Northumberland, Durham and Tyne and Wear which Royal Mail will this morning announce it is seeking to close.
Wendy and husband Ian, 44, gave up their jobs to take over the post office and Mace shop in which it is based from her parents on their retirement in April this year. On Friday, she received a phone call from Berwick Liberal Democrat MP Sir Alan Beith telling her that her branch was on the hitlist.
The following day, Mrs Thackray was sent posters and leaflets about the closure but has yet to receive an official letter or phone call from Royal Mail breaking the news.
Mrs Thackray, a lifelong resident of Norham, said: "We were not supposed to say anything until tomorrow but to hell with that, they are not doing us any favours.
"A Royal Mail employee did not say it would definitely be closing and she led us to believe there could be a chance. For something as major as that, it is our livelihood that they are playing with.
"To pay somebody else to come and run a van to do something we could do here ... to reduce the hours would be more sensible than to come and do that."
Royal Mail declined to comment ahead of the publication of the list this morning but people living and working in Norham last night reacted with dismay to the proposed loss of their post office.
Ronnie Hek [COR], who runs a business dressing and exporting teddy bears from his West Street home, last night told how he often uses the post office twice a day to send out his product.
The 53-year-old, who has run the venture since 1989, would face a 14-round mile trip every time he wants to use a post office.
He said: "If we have to go to Coldstream or Berwick with the price of fuel, it is probably going to cost us £600/£700 a year.
"If we lose the post office, it is really going to be inconvenient."
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