Over 100 march for Post Offices: is Paganhill PO also at risk?

Padre Brian (Randwick and Whiteshill churches) on Saturday led well over a 100 people marching from the top of Stroud High Street around the town to finish at the Sub Rooms for speeches - all political parties spoke about the need to retain these post offices.

Photo: March - sadly my camera expired again so no more pics than this one!

John Marjoram was particularly eloquent when it came to talk of the bonuses of those cutting the post offices will receive if they make their target - sick - do they really have so little understanding of climate change, peak oil and the vulnerable users of POs?

The next date for diaries is Wednesday the 26th March at 9am there is going to be a demo outside County Hall - when the the County Council will be discussing Post Offices - whether to follow the Essex Model (see earlier blogs).

I have also just seen the submission by Stroud Town Council which has investigated the grounds for closure provided by Post Office Limited in its Branch Access Report for Uplands. The report by Cllr Andy Reed is an excellent summary of the issues and makes what should be a full-proof case against closure - particularly as it has also judged the proposed closure against the government's published access criteria.

The access criteria aims to avoid undue hardship for individuals. In addition to setting distance criteria for access in urban and rural areas, the government has stated that Post Office Ltd has to "Consider the availability of public transport and alternative access to key services, local demographics and the impact on local communities."

Here below is some of the Town Council's 5000 word report - point 10 will be of particular interest to our ward as the Paganhill Post Office may well be put at risk by closure of Uplands.

Uplands Post Office is an exceptional case in many ways. We strongly submit that in relation to the proposed closure of Uplands, Network Change has failed to fulfill the requirements of the access criteria on ten separate grounds. In particular, the proposal to close a profitable operation, lies in direct conflict to its stated objective of using the Network Change programme to make the Post Office network sustainable.

When asked in Parliament if he would give an assurance that no profitable Post Office would close. (Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Committee; Third Report - Post Office Closure Programme - Feb 2008), Mr Alan Cook, Managing Director of Post Office Ltd, stated: "It is clearly pretty illogical that we would want to close something that is making a profit ... We need to be sure that every one we close, produces a material saving to Post Office ltd. There will be no post office that closes, that does not produce a material saving to Post Office network."

In light of the first 11 Area Plans, the Rural Shops Alliance completed an evaluation of Post Offices where the consultation process concluded that closure was the wrong option. Their document highlighted the access grounds on which it was argued that closure was not acceptable. We have used these grounds as the basis on which to judge whether Uplands Post Office meets the access criteria. Of the 23 Post Offices offered a reprieve in these first 11 Area Plans, of the 14 access grounds given, no single office hit more than four. The submission of Stroud Town Council is that Uplands Post Office fails the access criteria on eight of the 14 grounds, plus two other unique factors not mentioned elsewhere. At the public meeting held in Stroud on February 27th, both Postwatch and Post Office Ltd urged respondents to provide factual information to support any objections. The main body of the Town Council's response provides such evidence, underpinning each reason supporting our case that the closure the Uplands Post Office contravenes the government's Access Criteria.

The ten reasons are as follows: 1. Public transport is not available. 2. The topography of the town makes access on foot impossible for many existing users. 3. The distance to the nearest alternative will be considerably above one mile for a high percentage of existing users and mean that approximately 20% of people in the Stroud urban area will be more than a mile from a Post Office. 4. Access to the suggested alternative office by car is poor, making it particularly inaccessible to disabled and business customers. 5. The existing community served by the Uplands office has significant areas of deprivation and a high percentage of vulnerable customers. 6. 50% of the Post Offices serving Stroud have already closed in recent years. 7. The suggested alternative Post Office is unable to cope with any extra business. 8. Around 700 new homes are to be built in Stroud in the next few years including 165 on a site opposite Uplands Post Office. 9. The existing office is profitable and sustainable. 10. The unusual structure of Uplands Post Office means that closure will risk the viability of the other sub post office in the town.

Uplands Post Office is a unique facility, which provides a profitable and sustainable service to a community with a high percentage of vulnerable people. These will be unable to get suitable access to the nearest alternative. It has provided a valued and essential service to the community for more than 150 years. Instead of closing its doors forever, Post Office Limited should be working with its customers, the current Postmaster and the town council to develop and secure its services for the next 150 years.