Prove case for post office closures says council
Aug 11 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal
POST Office bosses have been urged to open up the books so the financial case for closing individual North East branches can be properly examined.
Council chiefs in Castle Morpeth said they had not been given information about the finances of the eight sub-post offices in the borough earmarked for closure or replacement by reduced ‘outreach’ services.
They claimed a number of local sub-postmasters had ‘expressed astonishment’ at the suggestion their businesses were not viable.
An official response by the borough council to the Post Office’s controversial network change programme – which involves closing or downgrading 81 branches across the North East – says it cannot support any local closures without seeing financial details.
A formal six-week consultation period on the North East cost-cutting programme ends today, and there have already been almost 2,500 submissions of opposition from across the region.
Last week a 1,750-name petition was handed to MP Denis Murphy by customers protesting at the proposed closure of the St Mary’s Field post office in Kirkhill, Morpeth. Branches in North Broomhill and Mitford are also on the closure list, with those at Longhorsley, Scots Gap, Belsay, Stannington and Whalton earmarked for closure and replacement with an outreach service.
A report to the borough council last week said the overwhelming view of local residents and business people was that the proposals would result in significant inconvenience and hardship.
The report said the council wanted to explore with Post Office Ltd options which could lead to the retention of some or all of the threatened branches.
It said: “In this respect we have requested, but have yet to receive, financial information in respect of the sites within Castle Morpeth. Until such time as this information has been received and analysed, we cannot support the closure of any of the sites proposed.”
Yesterday Castle Morpeth Council leader, Coun Peter Jackson, said: “This is a big problem because the Post Office claims client confidentiality, and that is not helpful in informing people about the situation at each post office.
“I have spoken to one postmaster who says the cost of providing an outreach service is nearly as much as keeping the branch open.”
Morpeth councillor Andrew Tebbutt, who organised the petition in support of the St Mary’s Field branch, said: “This is a very successful post office and I am absolutely assured that it makes a profit.”
Click the links below to read previous stories about the post office closure programme
Full list of North Post Office closures
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