Customers face chaos as services axed

Jul 2 2008 By Dave Black, Ben Guy and Brian Daniel, The Journal

POST Office customers in Northumberland could face ‘chaos’ later this year with the proposed closure of branches, it was claimed yesterday.

Morpeth sub-postmaster Colin Ayre made the warning as campaigners said that elderly people in the county would be “disproportionately affected” by the closures.

Mr Ayre’s St Mary’s Field branch on the large Kirkhill Estate was included on yesterday’s closure list, while uncertainty surrounds the future of the main town centre branch, currently housed in the Co-op store in Back Riggs. New premises are being sought for that franchise.

Yesterday, Mr Ayre, who has run his sub-post office for 24 years, said its closure would result in the loss of two members of staff and threaten the future of his adjoining shop.

“The situation in Morpeth is a total farce and to me there is no logical reason behind what they are doing. I am baffled as to why they are closing me down because we are busy, we have a lot of elderly customers, two local old people’s homes and this is the focal point of the community up here.

“When I close, elderly customers will have to get a bus to the town centre, but the post office there is due to shut in October and that could only leave one in the whole town, at Stobhill.

“Once the post office goes I don’t know what will happen to the shop, because there will just be me and one member of staff left.”

Also on the list is the post office at Ovingham. District councillor for the area Paul Macdonald said: “Ovingham has an elderly community and it will be a big miss as somewhere people can go and get their bits and pieces.

“I am bitterly disappointed and I just hope that we can maybe do something about it – we’ll be making representations to the Post Office.”

Marie McWilliams, head of campaigns and community engagement at Age Concern Northumberland, said: “Older people in particular will be disproportionately affected and Age Concern Northumberland would encourage everyone to make their views known.”

Parish councillor for Bardon Mill Steve Gibbon said that without the post office, the village shop would find it hard to survive.

He said: “They have said that they will provide an outreach service, but if you look closely at their website, it says this is a temporary service for evaluation – so even that service may also go.”

Closure of the branch in Scotland Gate, Choppington, will end two decades of service by sub-postmistress Anne Hedley, who said: “It will cause problems for some of my elderly customers because the nearest alternative post office is 0.8 miles away in Guide Post, so they will have to get a bus or make a car journey.”

At Milfield, Royal Mail proposes to replace the full time post office in the village store with a van seven hours per week. The nearest retained post offices are at Wooler, Ford, Etal and Crookham, all of which are four to five miles away.

Postmistress Brenda Brodie put announcement leaflets in newspapers delivered to villagers yesterday morning, and by the 10am announcement time around 60 people had gathered at the post office to show their support.

Mrs Brodie has rented the post office and shop for seven years and believes the loss of the post office could lead to her two full and three part time staff being laid off and the closure of the shop.

Milfield Parish Council is to host a public meeting on July 15 to co-ordinate a village response.

What do you think of the decision to close so many post offices? How will it affect your life? Click here to post a comment on our forums, or email jnl.letters@ncjmedia.co.uk, or write to Letters, The Journal, Groat Market, Newcastle, NE1 1ED.