Why Your Post Office Is Moving

TheComet:

The post office in Letchworth GC should stay where it is. That is what the people of the town are telling us in the scores of letters we have received backing our campaign to stop the busy, central post office being moved to a small convenience store.

Reporter Hannah Gray asked Post Office Ltd network service manager Tony Marsh, the man who will be making the final recommendations on what should happen in Letchworth GC, to explain their proposals and to respond to residents’ criticisms. The Comet has been inundated with responses to our campaign to stop the post office move. Are you determined to go ahead with the move despite strong public opposition to it?

We have clearly said that the decision to run the post office as a franchise has been taken in principle. We are making changes to do our best to ensure that post offices can survive and thrive into the future. They cannot continue indefinitely running at a loss.

Some people are saying that they don’t want change but the nature of post office business has significantly changed. 10 years ago, the majority of business transacted across our counters was on behalf of Government departments. With the withdrawal of the post office card account in 2010, the network’s revenue from work done for the Government will be less than 10% of business.

We’re doing a lot to fill the gap and have introduced a wide range of new products and services. But we still need to reduce costs and franchising is a means of doing this whilst keeping a main post office, with all services, in a locality. Why is your consultation limited to the opening hours, access arrangements and facilities, rather than whether or not it should be moved in the first place? Read here.