Post office branches wait to find if they face closure

Published on Tuesday 30 September 2008 09:54

THE talking is over and the last post is about to be sounded.

For 22 under-threat Lothian post office branches, the waiting to find out if they are on the final hit list is nearly over.

A month-long consultation into the controversial closure plans ended yesterday, with Post Office bosses set to announce their decision on October 21.

Hopes that at least some of the 13 under-threat Capital offices will be given a reprieve have been given a boost by the results of previous consultations.

Elsewhere in the country, around one in ten branches have been taken off the list following a local campaign.

That has given hope in particular to protesters in Marchmont, who have so far mounted the biggest opposition, gathering a 3000-name petition against the Warrender Park closure.

Others hoping for a reprieve include Calder Crossway, where campaigners complain the community will be hit with a double whammy as Lothian Buses axes the service to take customers to the next available branch.

Vocal campaigns have also been lodged against the planned closures of Cramond and Elm Row. But while there has been a storm of protest in some communities, others seem resigned to the closures being rubber stamped.

Some of the public meetings attracted just a handful of concerned residents, while the Broomhall branch actually closed eight months ago.

City council leader Jenny Dawe insisted the closure of any city post office would be a "major blow" for the community it serves.

"We know that they form an integral part of local neighbourhoods, particularly for older and less mobile residents," she said.

"We hope that Post Office Ltd will listen to the views expressed by the council and local community representatives and consider carefully the rational arguments that support maintaining services.

"Further closures will be very unfortunate and undoubtedly a retrograde move for the city of Edinburgh and its residents."

Post Office Ltd has already implemented a series of closures across the country to combat losses of up to 4 million a week.

After the announcement of the hit list last month, campaigns and petitions have been mounted, particularly in areas with a high number of elderly residents.

Around 150 people fighting the Warrender Park closure crammed into the St Giles Church hall to register their opposition.

Former councillor Fred Mackintosh, who helped lead the campaign to keep it open, said the public response had been "overwhelming".

Council officials, meanwhile, chose to officially identify Calder Crossway, Cramond and Magdalene Drive post offices as serving the city's most vulnerable communities and therefore priority cases for retention.

The postal watchdog, Postwatch Scotland, raised concerns about six of the planned closures.

It warned of the knock-on impact on nearby branches if Calder Crossway, Elm Row, Gorgie, Longstone, Nicolson Street and Warrender Park closed.

In most cases, it said the nearest alternative post offices may not be able to cope with the surge in demand.

But while it is unlikely all will be saved, experience suggests it was worth putting up a fight.

Last year, four branches in Greater Glasgow were reprieved while there were three U-turns on proposals to close offices across North East, Tayside and Fife.

Edinburgh North and Leith MP Mark Lazarowicz said: "I have been told at least ten per cent of proposals in previous consultations were removed.

"That is why it was so important that people put forward cases to keep post offices open."

But he added: "It would be wrong to give people false hopes as the reality is post offices are going to close.

"The key thing is for there to be good cases brought forward, not knee-jerk reactions."

A spokeswoman for Post Office Ltd said all feedback would be taken into account before a final decision is made.

She said: "Proposing to close any post office branch is always very difficult and will cause concern to many of our customers.

"We want to ensure that everyone who uses, relies on or has any concern with post office services is both fully aware of the changes we are proposing to meet UK government requirements."

WARRENDER PARK

A TOTAL of 3198 people signed a petition to save Warrender Park Road post office and at least 261 wrote individual letters putting the case against it shutting.

The public meeting earlier this month to discuss the proposed closure heard many tributes to subpostmaster Graham Smalley and his wife Jean, who have run the post office for the past 11 years.

Although Royal Mail said there are several other post offices within reach, campaigners insist closure would deprive a heavily populated tenement area of proper access to postal services. Warrender Park Road post office stays open until 7.30pm on Saturdays, often proving a "life saver" for people from all over the city whose own local branches are long shut by that time.

The community council and local MSP Mike Pringle have been among those campaigning to keep it open.

Mr Smalley said: "The support we have had from the community council and everyone in the area – from students right through to the elderly – has been absolutely superb. I don't think anyone could have done better for us.

"All we can do now is wait and hope and keep our fingers crossed."

CALDER CROSSWAY

COUNCIL officials identified this post office as one of three most vital to retain, arguing a closure would severely affect vulnerable residents.

SNP MSP Ian McKee said: "If someone is queuing up at the post office every week to get their benefits, it implies they don't have a bank account. "

About 40 per cent of the population near Calder Crossway live in rented social housing, 50 per cent of households have no car, and one-fifth of people have a long-term illness.

SHANDON

SAVE Shandon Post Office campaign was launched by the Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart Green Party group. It argued older people, or those with young children, who rely on the service being within walking distance would be hit the hardest if the closure went ahead.

At a public meeting in Craiglockhart Primary School - attended by just 13 people - campaigners argued the self-employed would also suffer from a closure, having to take time out of their day to travel to the nearest alternative office at Wheatfield.

CRAMOND

CRAMOND is another of three post offices that city council officials believe should be saved.

Although it serves a prosperous population, a quarter of residents are retired and the next nearest alternative branch, Barnton, is one mile away.

Edinburgh West MP John Barrett said: "The post office is also the village shop and its future is in jeopardy if it doesn't have the post office.

"A public meeting was packed and community organisations have been manning the barricades to save the post office."

ELM ROW

CAMPAIGNERS fighting for Elm Row Post Office had their say at the final public meeting last night.

Concerns were about the inconvenience to customers of a closure, but the possible impact it could have on trade, particularly as tram works have already hit the Leith area.

Vice-chairman of Leith Walk Traders' Association Alan Rudland said: "There's a very strong sense of community here and the post office is definitely part of it. It's unfortunate to see another business disappear from Leith Walk."

DALMENY

DALMENY post office already opens only part-time – five mornings a week. It is well over a mile to the next nearest branch in South Queensferry,

Edinburgh West MP John Barrett said: "The village shop in Dalmeny has gone and the post office is the only place left open to serve the public.

"There is not a high percentage of car ownership and quite a high proportion of elderly people. Losing the post office would be a hammer blow to the village."

He said he suggested if the branch does have to close, a mobile post office should visit the village on a regular basis.

GOLDENACRE:

CONCERNS about how a closure would affect nearby shops were high on the agenda at a meeting attended by more than 60 people.

Residents argued businesses would suffer as a result of the closure, when they fought for the post office at Inverleith Parish Church hall earlier this month.

GORGIE

POSTMASTER David Braithwaite is happy for his branch to close. He believes it is increasingly difficult to make money from a post office.

However, elderly and disabled people have been fighting for its future. They argued the nearest alternative, at Asda, would not be able to cope with the extra work.

LONGSTONE:

CAMPAIGNERS arguing for retention have focussed on the impact a closure could have on elderly users. About half of business is made up of people paying bills and collecting benefits, mainly pensions.

MAGDALENE DRIVE

MAGDALENE Drive suffers from similar problems to Calder Crossway, with the majority of users being elderly people. It is the third post office the city council officially backed as a priority case.

Protesters argued that the nearest alternative branch in Milton Road West was not convenient for the less mobile.

NICOLSON STREET:

IN an area densely populated by businesses and a transient community, campaigners argued the post office is important in the community.

Southside/Newington Councillor Gordon Mackenzie said: "It is a very busy post office and serves not only businesses, but people who are not in the area for very long."

PILRIG TOLL

ARGUMENTS for Pilrig Toll's retention have focused on how well used it is by residents in the busy area. Leith Walk Councillor Angela Blacklock said: "Pilrig Toll provides a very important service."

BROOMHALL:

BROOMHALL post office may be listed for permanent closure, but it has in fact been shut for eight months.

Edinburgh West MP John Barrett said there was a "sense of loss" that it had gone.

OTHERS ACROSS THE LOTHIANS:Poltonhall: 12 Hopefield Park, Bonnyrigg

Breich: Rashiehill Terrace, Breich, West Calder

Carrington: 4 Primrose Gardens, Carrington, Gorebridge

Easthouses: 1 Mayfield Road, Easthouses, Dalkeith

Elphinstone: 3 Main Street, Elphinstone, Tranent

Lasswade: 12 High Street, Lasswade

Newton: Main Street, Newton, Broxburn

Polbeth: 12-13 Limefield Road, Polbeth, West Calder

West Barns: 2a Edinburgh Road, West Barns, Dunbar