Leave our main Post Office alone say Fulham residents
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
27/06/2007
More than 80 residents pack public meeting organised by the council
“Leave Fulham’s main post office alone” – that was the clear message to Post Office bosses as more than 80 residents packed a public meeting organised by H&F Council on Monday (25 June) to oppose plans to merge the town’s main post office with a branch of W H Smith.
Local people and leading politicians voiced concerns about the quality of service, the long-term future of the post office if W H Smith’s gets taken over by another retailer and how the relocated facilities would fit into the small W H Smith’s shop in North End Road.
Residents and councillors also questioned the need to close a post office which is always so busy – and Post Office managers were unable to say whether or not Farm Lane is a profitable branch, citing the urgent need to cut costs nationally to stem £4 million a week losses.
Among the local people attending was Molly Storck, of Lillie Road, Fulham, who said, “I feel very strongly about this because they have already closed branch offices in Lillie Road and North End Road. The W H Smith’s store is not a big one and it’s completely crowded with their merchandise.”
The meeting at Fulham Library exhibition hall was chaired by council leader, Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, who said, “The feeling expressed at the meeting was that this is a tremendously popular main post office. People cannot believe it’s closing. We need to see the financial figures – we don’t think this is a failing branch, it’s a hugely successful branch. This affects a large number of people across Fulham. In Hammersmith Broadway, there are concerns about the quality of the service since the post office moved to W H Smith’s in the Kings Mall shopping centre less than a year ago. There has also been a relentless tide of other branches shutting down across the borough.”
The council has organised a petition which will be used to back up the protest to the Post Office against the Fulham closure.
Other speakers at the meeting included Hammersmith & Fulham MP Greg Hands, H&F Pensioners’ Forum secretary Heather Armitage, Post Office network manager Kevin Parkin and Roger Darlington, Greater London chairman of watchdog body Postwatch.
Heather Armitage said she was concerned about residents receiving an inferior service, based on her experiences of the transfer of Hammersmith Broadway post office to W H Smith. “On one occasion I was told they had completely run out of postal orders, which is a bit like a pub running out of beer,” said Miss Armitage.
The branch in Farm Lane, Fulham, is to transfer to a WH Smith’s store in North End Road in a seven-year deal, which is part of a controversial national drive to merge 70 post office outlets with the retail chain by next summer.
Meanwhile, the government has just announced a national round of post office closures, with 2,500 due to close over an 18-month period from this summer. If this were spread evenly across the UK, London could lose another 150 post offices.
Post Office Ltd is due to announce a six-week consultation on the proposal to close the Fulham post office – but this will be on the type of service at the chain store, not on whether the move should happen. The consultation is due to begin shortly.
Kevin Parkin, Post Office network manager, said the number of counters at the new W H Smith post office in Fulham would be similar – 10, rather than 13 – and they would be modern, open-plan facilities. He said there was more space at the W H Smith store than it appeared and the revamp would involve using this extra space at the back of the store.
Local people wanting to make representations to the Post Office can sign the petition, which can be downloaded at www.lbhf.gov.uk, or write to Phillippa Wright, National Consultation Manager, Post Office Ltd, c/o – National Consultation Team, PO Box 2060, Watford WD18 8ZW. You can also share your views on the council’s website at www.lbhf.gov.uk/shareyourviews or email watchdog body Postwatch at london@postwatch.co.uk
