Local communities across Shropshire and Staffordshire have reacted with anger and dismay today to the news that 53 Post Offices had been earmarked for closure. A further 12 in Shropshire to be replaced by a new Post Office “outreach solution”.
Consultation on the proposals will be running until 9 June 2008. According to the Post Office: “Post Office Ltd has reached these proposals after engaging with and taking input from the independent consumer watchdog on postal services, Postwatch, and from all local authorities within the area, and has considered factors relating to geography, the availability of local transport and alternative access to key Post Office® services, local demographics and the impact on local economies. Views on all these factors are welcomed during the consultation process.”
More information can be found at: http://www.royalmailgroup.com/ and the full hit list is here : BBC – Hit List in full
Everybody agrees that this news is a tragedy for local communities. Particularly for Lidbury North who’s school has already been earmarked for closure by Shirehall. Now the community is dealt another hammer blow by the post office.
It is about time that the Post Office and the Government actually came up with meaningful solutions instead of undercutting rural communities. Many local facilities are fast disappearing. Health services, pubs, schools and post offices are all under threat by policies biased toward urban conurbations.