Focus on facts in bid to save post office, protesters told

Published on Wednesday 10 September 2008 10:16

MORE than 150 protesters crammed into Marchmont St Giles church in Kilgraston Road last night to grill post office representatives about the proposed closure of Warrender Park Road Post Office.

Post Office staff running a consultation on the proposed closure of 13 offices across Edinburgh were met with a barrage of angry questions as protesters were told to leave their emotions behind and concentrate on the facts if they wanted to save the post office.

The meeting was chaired by Mike Pringle, MSP, who had arranged it, and was attended by politicians of all political shades, united to condemn the closure.

Julia Young, external relations officer for the Post Office, told the meeting not to bother submitting petitions showing how many people wanted to keep the post office open, but to concentrate on providing concrete facts about the area which were not already known to the organisation.

She added that there were another 10 post offices within a mile of Warrender Park Road which customers could use.

However, chairwoman of the Marchmont and Sciennes community council Susie Agnew told the meeting that the post office's decision to propose the Warrender Park Road office for closure had been based partly on the fact that the number 24 bus could take customers to nearby offices, but said this service was scheduled to be reduced in future.

Post Office Network Development Manager Gary Herbert said: "The proposals are not going to be changed because you're going to argue about whether there's a 30 minute bus service or not, they're going to be changed because you tell us something that we have not yet taken into account."

Many of the users paid tribute to the service provided by sub postmaster Graham Smalley and his wife Jean, who have run the post office for 11 years.

However, Ms Young urged protestors to avoid such emotional appeals as she said they would not affect the outcome of the consultation: "We're looking at this from a purely scientific point of view, even though we understand that many of you are pleased with the service you get."

Mr Smalley himself gave an emotional address, calling for closure proposal to be overturned. He told the audience: "I'm quite overwhelmed by the tremendous response and turn out tonight from all the people that have come to this meeting. I can say categorically that I think I recognise every face in this room."

Pensioner Billie Reese, of Lauderdale Street, who walks with a frame, said she could take parcels to Warrender Park Road Post Office but would not be able to travel any further.

She also asked how she would be able to pay her council tax and pick up her pension if the office closed, adding: "Please don't suggest I give to a government department the details of my bank because we all know that government departments are a dab hand at having so little respect for our records that they lose them by the hundreds of thousands."

The consultation on the proposed post office closures runs until September 29, with the final decision due on October 21.