We all know how vital the post office is to a local community. Or do we? The Post Office is due to 'consult' on its planned closures, some 2,500 offices across the country, and including 58 of Kent's 363 offices. Those in Thanet come under the plan for Kent, obviously, and consultation takes place in October. Yes, this month. So for those who feel the need to protect this vital link for small businesses, the elderly, in fact anyone who uses their services, have a look at the Postwatch or Post Office web sites for details (you may have to search for News or Closures) - there's only about 6 weeks to have your say. The list of threatened branches is only due to be released today, so there's not a moment to lose if this is important to you...And here's the full list from the BBC
According to this morning's local paper, Ramsgate stands to lose the post offices on Grange Road, Bellevue Road and at Cliffsend Village Hall, but I'm keeping an eye out for the definitive list on the Post Office web site. Or perhaps they have a cunning plan to launch the consultation without actually revealing which offices are listed for closure, which would match the style of a company that has been threatening subpostmasters to keep them quiet over the last few months...
Of course, like most people, I generally only use the post office to send things I can't fit in to a letter box (which is quite often given that I wheel and deal on eBay a bit). Stamps, foreign currency, benefit payments, pensions, banking saervices etc can all be got elsewhere; the TV Licence is now dealt with by someone else, and even Car Tax can be dealt with online.
So the solution? Use it or lose it. Support your local subpostmaster!
Links:
Post Office
Postwatch
Royal Mail
National Federation of Subpostmasters
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