Southwark Lib Dems Are Demanding That Post Office Limited Keep Local Sub-Offices Open

12.30.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 16th Sep 2004

Two post offices in Southwark, Abbey Street and Bermondsey Street, have been threatened with closure. Official consultation on the closures closes tomorrow (Wednesday).

Cllr Beverley Bassom, Chair of Bermondsey Community Council, said: "Bermondsey Community Council is against the closure of Abbey Street and Bermondsey Street sub-post offices and I have made that very clear to Post Office Limited.

"Post Office Limited has been very sketchy about the volume of business it receives from our area and I have called on the management to make these figures public so that we can judge for ourselves how viable our local post offices are.

"Closure need not be an option as I understand that there is somebody willing and available to take over the running of one or both the post offices.

Cllr Linda Manchester, Councillor for Grange Ward, said: "Aside from anything else, post offices offer an invaluable service and community support for elderly and vulnerable residents. We have seen and received several petitions that show the value local residents place on this service and we will be fighting this all the way."

ENDS

Note:

1. Lib Dems, including Simon Hughes MP and Leader Cllr Nick Stanton, will be outside Bermondsey Post Office at 9:30am on Wednesday morning campaigning against the closures.

2. Lib Dem Executive Members will be considering this evening (Tuesday) their formal response to the closures.

3. Lib Dems have submitted a motion to Council Assembly (proposed by Grange ward councillors, Denise Capstick and Linda Manchester) as follows, to be voted on tomorrow evening (Wednesday):

Council is concerned that the Abbey Street and Bermondsey Street post office branches have been earmarked for closure.

Council believes that post offices are of fundamental importance to the well being of many of the most vulnerable members of our community.

Council notes that:

§ 4000 post offices were closed by the Conservatives and now under Labour there are 3000 branches that have or are due to be closed;

§ Many of the sections of our community most dependant on post offices ie the elderly or disabled, are those who will also suffer the most from increased distances to alternative post offices if there are closures;

§ The welcome upturn in economic fortunes of the Bankside area is bringing new businesses to the area, yet despite this increased demand, and the potential new business resulting from Southwark Council's face-to-face review, the Post Office is about to reduce its service. The Post Office is therefore missing a business opportunity;

§ Proposed receiving branches do not have sufficient extra capacity to support the increased demand;

§ The Bermondsey branch is the oldest post office in the country and would be a significant heritage loss to the area.

Council therefore urges the Post Office consultation team to take the case for the maintenance of these branches seriously and would support a campaign to preserve their status should they be in jeopardy.