Has anyone saved their Post Office?

[UnquietDad]

Advice gratefully received on campaigning etc. if you have. Leaflets have gone out in ours today about "consultation" over closure - they found out this morning.

So, so pissed off - and what a coincidence, they've done it just as the Boundary Commission has confirmed we'll be in a Lib Dem-held seat next time, not a safe Labour one as before. So they're not risking any votes over it. And they wouldn't dare try this in certain postcodes.

Not sure yet what local campaigns are running, but a councillor on the local forum has a downloadable poster already. Obviously lots of people will put this in their window, but if the government have already made up their minds, will anything like this make a difference?

The really galling thing is that it is used - it's always really busy.

Uqd on a similar line, our 2 "alternatives" were supposedly accessible to wheelchairs and pushchairs. When I wrote in I highlighted that one of them had so many greeting card racks etc one may be able to get in to the actual shop, but then v tricky to reach the counter.

Also neither of the 2 alternatives have local parking. On one of the (narrow) roads cars are regularly double parked inc parking all over the pavement, so even if a wheelchair user decided to make their own way (rather than via car) they would find it almost impossible to negotiate along the pavement.

We find out any day now if our P.O. will be saved - I suspect not as we are not in a rural area.

Unquietdad, I'm rushing out now but will post more details later. If I forget, give me a big nudge if you see me posting elsewhere.

There was a vigourous campaign to save two sub-Post offices in our town, but despite the fact that Postwatch said they shouldn't be closed it didn't do any good - they have gone & the queues at the main post office, which used to be out of the door at busy times are now out of the door almost all the time & halfway down the pavement when it's busy.

No. It was all a sham consultation IMHO. The queues out of the now nearest post office have to be seen to be believed.

We marched in the streets and everything.

Are any "consultations" ever anything but a sham?

I've had a look at my notes from the meeting, so here's some more info that may or may not be useful.

If they propose closing your branch, they'll give details of one or two alternatives. There will provide, on request, "branch access reports" for these alternatives. They'll say how far they are, what the terrain is, what the parking is like etc etc.

The first thing to do is make sure that the information on these reports is correct - ie, check that the bus company isn'y planning to withdraw a service etc etc.

These alternative branches have to support "minimum access critera" (I think the government decides the criteria, but I can't quite read my notes at that point!)
and ideally be less than a mile from the branch that's proposed for closure.

The reasons that they might decide not to close a branch are:

If the branch they want to close is in an area of high deprivation, and residents don't have access to cars. Especially vulnerable residents - single parents and disabled people ideally. Not elderly people, as they get free bus transport. (At least, they do in Scotland. Presume it's UK-wide)

If the alternative branches don't have the capacity to absorb the additional customers - ie, if they only have one "window" and already have a reputation for huge queues.

If the nearest branch is too far away, if the public transport links are poor and unreliable and if there are parking restrictions.

Lastly, if the alternative branches provide a poorer service - shorter opening hours, no disabled access etc.

They also count the responses they get, so it's probably better to send 100 individual letters that a petition with 100 names.

Remember that they have a set number of POs that they must close, so if a miracle does happen and they keep yours open, they will close another one within the geographic consultation area.

It's a box ticking exercise. I know of only one occasion where the consultation ended in a change of decision. Good luck anyway.

All v useful and noted, Mrs M.

Many thanks.

UQD sorry not time to read whole thread, apologies if repeating. Ours is under threat too but the council are being quite brilliant about it. If yours are up to scratch this is what they should be doing:

Finding out how many people currently use it.
Finding out where these people will go if yours closes: how far away is this? NOTE: not as the crow flies, but on pavements and footpaths. Are these useable/accessible?
If people cna't walk far, how will they get to the alternative PO?
What percentage of the catchment for the current PO have access to a car? NOTE this doesn't mean 'have a car', it means have somebody who will give them a lift: where I live this is a low figure = good news in terms of trying to save the PO.
What percentage of people have internet access at home (so that they can't easily use the 'but you can pay your gas bill/renew your tax disc online' card)? Ideally you want this to be low.
Council should be getting statistics on the proportion of elderly people and others who can't queue long. Ideally you want eh 'nearest alternaitve' PO to have crappy long queues already so you can argue that they won't be able ot cope with the influx of new users.
COuncillors should be organising a public meeting where they can collect CASE STUDIES: v important, personal evidence of why this will be bad news for hundereds of people, in temrs of death of community (like you say, what will happen to your local shop?) and in terms of 'I can't use the bus to the nearest alternative post office because it won't take my buggy/ wheelchair' and 'at present I collect my neighbour's pension for her, but I won't be able to continue doing this if you take away the PO/ etc.
I have hope for ours: another in our area has been saved (but not too close i.e. it makes be hopeful, not worried because they've saved one and therefore won't save another).
I have just emialed my councillor asking for a petition to be emailed ot me so I can print it out and knock on doors in my street and the neighbouring ones. I am hopeful.

best of luck for yours too.

Thanks to you as well, Lio.
All this info is being assembled and I'll send it round the other interested people.