"Come clean" on Post Office closures
April 19, 2004 12:00 AM
Dennis Brown: Public must know what criteria have been used in order to identify which post offices might close
Henleaze Lib Dem Cllr Dennis Brown is demanding that Post Office Ltd and Postwatch reveal the criteria they are using when making their decisions to close more than a dozens post offices in Bristol.
At a meeting of the Council's Post Office Select Committee on 15 April, Cllr Brown revealed that he had been given some information privately, but that Postwatch "would not be happy for this information to be shared with any group". Post Office Ltd have replied that they are not prepared to release the criteria at this stage.
Cllr Brown said, "In order to conduct a genuine consultation, councillors and the public must know what criteria have been used in order to identify which post offices might close. Keeping this information secret until after individual post offices have been named makes it more difficult to respond effectively. The public need a level playing field over the proposed loss of a vital community service."
The lack of information has prevented the Committee from finalising its report into the planned closure of post offices in Bristol and the effects this will have on local communities and businesses.
The committee's recommendations were beefed up by demands from Cllr Brown including that Post Office Ltd makes a full disclosure of the criteria used in selecting post offices for closure, they must show how they think customers will reach alternative post offices, and where a proposed closure is linked to the retirement of the sub-postmaster or sub-postmistress, what efforts have been made to find alternative premises nearby.
Lockleaze Lib Dem Cllr Sean Emmett demanded that the Council contact all utility providers in Bristol to allow all utility bills to be paid through local post offices by cash, cheque or postal order without financial penalty.
Cllr Emmett also appealed for Neighbourhood Renewal projects across the city to take account of the effects that post office closures may have on deprived communities and to assist in making threatened post offices more viable.
Cllr Emmett has previously requested that Lockleaze & Upper Horfield Neighbourhood Renewal contribute towards parking bays outside the Danby House post office in Morris Road to improve access for passing trade, and will be pressing again for funds to be made available in the current year.
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