Sally Keeble MP has sent a report to Royal Mail slating the proposals to close four post offices in her constituency.
The report, sent in to the Royal Mail’s consultation on the post office closures, said that the closures would especially hit the elderly, disabled and most vulnerable.
Among the people who responded to her consultation were many frail pensioners, including an 89 year old pensioner who is registered blind, and could only manage to get to her local post office for her pension. Many people said they used the post office to get out money and pay their bills.
The MP said that Royal Mail had failed to use accurate information when drawing up its plans for the post offices. It did not use accurate population figures, as it did not take account of new residential developments planned around some of the post offices. It did not take account the number of elderly and disadvantaged people living close to some of the post offices,
“The post offices are used for much more than just buying stamps and sending letters and parcels. For many elderly and disabled people the post office is their lifeline – it is where they get their pension and pay their bills. Royal Mail has not taken all the accurate and relevant information into account. I hope that they will look at the information in this report, see the heartfelt response of the public, and think again about their proposals.”
The report was based on a two-stage consultation with residents living in the area of
Attachments: