Members of the public joined Tom Biggins, Conservative Spokesman, in Telford to demonstrate their outrage over the proposed closure of Randlay Post Office.
Talking from outside the Post Office, Tom responded with anger and utter disappointment, as news of the announcement made earlier today reached local residents.
“I am totally horrified that Randlay has been selected for closure. This proposal is as intolerable as it is unacceptable. Randlay is one of the busiest Post Offices in Telford. People frequently have to queue up for its services, particularly on a Saturday mornings,” he pointed out. “I know that it’s April Fool’s Day, but this proposal is beyond a joke.
“I cannot see how the Post Office and the government can possibly justify attacking the financial viability of this much used and vital local business. It is the only shop in the area. This closure, if it goes ahead, is going to cause major inconvenience to local people. It will prove a hammer blow to the thousands of people who live nearby. It will also hit the elderly and infirm hardest of all.”
Tom added: “Has any thought been given by the Post Office to where people are supposed to travel to in the future? The reality is that local residents will have to journey to either Telford Town centre, Dawley or Brookside. No one is going to walk. At a time when people are being encouraged to travel less, to save energy and to ease global warming by using services locally, this closure will do the opposite by forcing local people to travel more, by car or bus.
“The fact that so many people have joined our demonstration and signed our petition this morning shows how strongly people feel about this issue. This closure must be stopped. As part of my campaign to prevent the closure of Randlay Post office, I urge everyone to come along to my public meeting to be held at Randlay Community Centre on Monday, 7th April at 7.00pm. All local residents affected are welcome to attend.
“I would also urge all people that are opposed to the Post Office closure programme to visit my website - www.tombiggins4telford - and sign my E-petition.”
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Notes to Editor:
- Closure programme: Post Office Ltd will be looking to close between 12% and 15% of Sub Post Offices within the Telford area. The review process started formally on 14th January 2008, ahead of a public consultation which runs for six weeks between 1st April and 9th June. Announcements of any closures are expected on 1st July with closures taking effect from 29th July 2008.
Post Office Closures: What YOU should know
- Labour holds the record for closing Post Offices faster than any other Government -almost 10 a week since 1997.
- 4,000 Post Offices have already closed under Labour - that’s a quarter of the country’s Post Office network.
- The Government’s announcement that it will shut down a further 2,500 Post Offices will continue to decimate the network; by the time of the next election, Gordon Brown will have closed down a third of the entire Post Office network.
- The target that the Government has set for closures is arbitrary and illogical, taking no account of whether a Post Office marked for closure is profitable or not.
- Countless communities will lose their only shop and vulnerable people will lose a service they depend upon. Ministers have taken no account of the needs of the elderly, of the disabled, or of the most disadvantaged - the very ones who will lose out most.
- As few as 4,000 of Britain’s 14,300 Post Offices may survive Labour’s decade.
What the Conservatives would do
- Give sub-Post Offices more freedom to offer a wider range of business services.
- Push for more Post Offices to be ‘One Stop Shops’ - trained staff could then advise on a range of matters, including tax returns, pension entitlements, opening hours and so on.
- Encourage local Councils to open ‘Council Counters’ in local branches.
- Allow the Post Office to work with carriers other than the Royal Mail.
- Prevent the Royal Mail taking business away from sub-Post Offices by under-cutting the prices they can charge for postage.
Further information from:
Tom Biggins, Parliamentary Spokesman for Telford
Email: tom@tombiggins4telford.com (www.tombiggins4telford.com)
