The man in charge of local Post Office changes is brought to Winchester for meeting with Steve Brine and council leader.
Prospective Winchester MP, Steve Brine, has hosted a meeting - in Winchester - with the Post Office to discuss Government plans to close a raft of sub-Post Offices across the area.
Mr Brine was joined by Winchester City Council leader, Cllr George Beckett (and WCC Cllr Barry Lipscomb) for the meeting with Tim Nickolls, Network Development Manager within the Network Change Team at the Post Office.
They discussed the stage of local plans to make changes to the network and the criteria against which individual judgements will be made.
After the meeting Steve Brine said; “It was a constructive meeting but it is clear from what Mr Nickolls said we are going to face the loss of some sub-post offices over the next 12 months, with announcements being made just before Christmas.
“We all pressed him very hard at this meeting on the consultation process and the opportunities for local people to have their say on their local Post Office. Those branches which are safe will know any day now, the rest will go into a 6-week period of consultation from October 15th, which will be followed by a 3-week period of reflection before final decisions are made.
“The PO have confirmed that it is possible for local people to haul their branch out of the ‘under-threat’ basket and I would urge people to write as soon as a more specific address has been published after October 15 (if they haven't already done so) to tell those making decisions about our communities, why their Post Office should survive.
“On a more general point, I wanted to put on the record at this meeting as I have consistently done throughout, that Conservatives do not accept the steady decline of the Post Office. We do of-course understand that they are running a business and the taxpayer cannot subside with ever-increasing sums any failing business but the Government have pulled the rug from under sub-postmasters and it didn’t have to be this way. Ministers need to realise, even this late in the day, that when the local Post Office closes, often the last shop in the village closes as well. There is an important social role played by Sub-Post Offices in our communities and we should take positive steps to give Post offices a sustainable future. Such a policy must include giving sub-Postmasters greater freedoms to run their business.
"The long-term future of the network will be best secured if the Post Office is opened up to new markets and new customers. Just as many pubs that were tied to one brewery are now free houses, so Post Offices should be released from their ties and be allowed to offer a broader range of services."
If you want to write in support of your Post Office, you should send letters and emails to:
Post Office Customer Care
Freepost
PO BOX 740
Brampton
Barnsley
S73 0UF
or via: www.postoffice.co.uk
Be sure to keep them focused on specific points about the post office you are writing about – tell them why it is needed by yourself and your community.
