Post Office closure plans 'a threat to our communities'

Written by Article for Hazel Grove and Bramhall Community News by Andrew Stunell MP and published in Hazel Grove and Bramhall Community News on Mon 5th Jan 2004

One very unwelcome Christmas gift was the 'consultation pack' I received on Post Office closures in Stockport. Sent just before the holiday, it was almost as though they hoped it would be missed in the rush. But I did read it, and like many Community News readers I was shocked to find that three of our local sub post offices are planned to close - at Five Ways on Macclesfield Road, on the A6 at Norbury, and at Jackson's Lane.

There are 15 listed for closure across Stockport, and according to Post Watch they are only part of a much longer list of 3,000 sub post offices due to close nationally this year. Looked at by the hard-eyed accountants at Post Office HQ they are all 'business units' that lose money, and so they have to go.

However for many local residents they are not just business units, but providers of an important public service. For some older folk the local post office can make the difference between being able to manage independently, and being left stuck relying on friends and neighbours. And for the rest of us there is no doubt that, even in this electronic age, they are extremely useful. It is also important to remember that they are 'shopping magnets' - we go to the post office, and then call in at other shops, too. If you take away the post office, it hits the trade of other shops nearby, and makes it harder for them to keep going, as well.

Of course the 'consultation pack' has plenty of smooth words about the alternatives on offer to post office customers. However when you look at the real world we live in you find that these include a 2 mile round trip from Macclesfield Road, for instance, to reach the nearest Post Office left open. Not too many elderly or disabled residents will make that walk, and many of them, and young mothers, do not have a car they can use instead.

As if that is not bad enough, the Post Office say that 'we cannot guarantee that there would not be further changes'. Somehow I don't think that means opening new shops, so the risk is that even more might go. Meanwhile they have also done everything they can to stop people using their local post offices to collect pensions and benefits by making payments to banks in future. I have been fighting this for the last two years as well. That is not only because the choice should be left to the public, and not forced on us, but also because I feared it would drastically undermine the sub postmasters' business. There can be no doubt that this is exactly what is happening.

The Liberal Democrats believe the loss of these post offices threatens the quality of life of local residents, and that our communities will be weakened if they go. As your local MPs Patsy Calton and I are making strong representations to Post Watch and to the Post Office to have an urgent rethink of these plans. If you agree do get in touch with me at my office at Liberal Democrats, 68a Compstall Road, Romiley, Stockport SK6 4DE. It is the most vulnerable and at-risk people in our area who will be hit hardest if these closures go ahead. Time is short - officially the consultation closes on Jan 27th - so the sooner you take action the better.

END