Council dossier challenges Post Office closures
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
02/04/2008
Plans to rip the heart out of the borough by axing six post office sub-branches have been officially challenged by the council with a formal submission handed in to post office bosses today (Wednesday, 2 April).
Following a campaign by Hammersmith & Fulham Council against the closures, town hall officials have now spelt out to post office bosses why their closure plans should be ripped up.
The council campaign to save the post office counters included hosting a public meeting in the town hall and collecting a petition with more than 1,000 names of local residents dead set against the closures.
In addition to giving a blow-by-blow account of why each of the six closures is flawed, the council has suggested that Barons Court and Askew Road libraries could be used to house Post Office counters. Under Government rules, Post Office bosses now have until the end of April to respond to the council’s submission.
The six branches on the chopping block are: 780 Fulham Road, 58 Kenyon Street, 146 Shepherds Bush Road, 68 Askew Road, 88 Goldhawk Road and Starch Green at 7 Kings Parade, Askew Road.
Councillor Paul Bristow, Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, has been leading the charge against Post Office closures in the borough. He said: “The ball is now firmly in the Post Office’s court. They have the detailed submission from the council.
“The Post Office has seen the thousands of names on the petition and they have heard the strength of feeling at our public meeting. We are now working furiously behind the scenes to persuade the Post Office to listen before they rubber stamp their closure plans.”
Although the council would like to see all six branches staying open, to maximise the chances of success, efforts are being focused on the offices with the greatest chance of survival.
Councillor Bristow continues: “While we want to save each of these branches, we are looking at ways to save the Post Offices we think we have most chance of saving, starting with reinstating a branch in W14 – the first London postcode not to have a Post Office since 1857. We are offering to house a branch in our Barons Court Library.”
There is hope that the Starch Green post office, at 7 Kings Parade in Askew Road, will remain open but failing this the council is offering nearby Askew Road Library as an alternative.
Shepherds Bush Road is one of the few London post offices that is actually making a profit but, due to potty criteria, financial viability is only one factor the Post Office takes into account before deciding which branches to axe. The office at 146 Shepherds Bush Road has been named by Postwatch, the independent watchdog for postal services, as one of the top five closures it is most worried about in London.
The Kenyon Street office has a disproportionately high number of elderly residents and there are three sheltered housing schemes close to this branch, Rowberry Close, Meadowbank Close and Cedar Lodge.
Roger Darlington, Chairman of Postwatch in Greater London, said: “We visited every post office we had worries about and we still have serious concerns about 146 Shepherds Bush Road. We will weigh up all the information but our experience has been that a couple of proposals will be withdrawn – but you’re probably talking single figures.”
The six threatened branches are part of a national closure programme which will see the cash-strapped Post Office slash overheads by axing more than 2,500 branches across Britain.
Cllr Bristow added: “This is the last chance saloon for the Post Office network locally. Unfortunately, residents and the council can do no more. The council has argued in minute detail why we think each of these closures is misguided and we have even offered rent free accommodation in two of our highest footfall libraries.”
To view the council’s submission to the Post Office closures consultation click on: www.lbhf.gov.uk/postofficeclosures.
