Six Post Office branches face closure hell as council says ‘enough is enough’
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
19/02/2008
Half a dozen Post Office branches face the axe in the latest round of closures to hit Hammersmith and Fulham.
The six doomed branches are part of a national closure programme which will see more than 2,500 branches closed across Britain. The Post Office launched a consultation on the closures today but council leaders and many residents suspect the consultation is just a ‘rubber-stamping’ exercise and that the Post Office has already made up its mind to wield the axe.
Cllr Paul Bristow, Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, is leading the opposition to the closures in H&F. He said, “Enough is enough. Asking residents whether they would like to lose six out of 14 Post Offices is like asking someone whether they want to lose a limb.
“Many local people, particularly our elderly and more vulnerable residents, rely on their local Post Office branch, not just for errands, but as a vital community hub. Many residents will feel helpless if these closures go through.”
The consultation was launched as the council learned of a seventh shutdown, not mentioned in the Post Office’s official bumf. The Costcutter local supermarket on North End Road closed earlier this month meaning the Post Office counter inside also bit the dust. The news is particularly damaging to the Post Office as, as well as closing braches across the borough, they have been trying to relocate other branches into smaller shops to slash overheads.
Cllr Bristow continued, “Last year the Crown Post Office in North End Road was moved to a small corner of WH Smith. Two weeks later the owners of the site applied to knock the building down. Now we hear that another branch, this time in a Costcutter, has closed its doors.”
The six Post Office branches earmarked for closure are: 780 Fulham Road, 58 Kenyon Street, 146 Shepherds Bush Road, 68 Askew Road, 88 Goldhawk Road and 7 Kings Parade, Askew Road.
Cllr Bristow added, “The Post Office told us last year that the relocation of the Crown Post Office in North End Road was necessary to halt more closures. We are now being told they plan to shut another six offices in Hammersmith & Fulham. Their disregard for the views of this council, residents and disability groups is outrageous.”
This latest blow to local Post Offices comes hot on the heels of branch closures at Farm Lane, Blythe Road, Hammersmith Broadway and Brackenbury Road.
Cllr Bristow concluded, “The Post Office are just slashing and burning their network and hoping that residents won’t notice.”
169 Post Offices are under threat in the capital leaving Londoners with fewer than 700 branches. Hammersmith & Fulham Council is taking a stand against the closures and will be feeding back objections to the closures before the end of the consultation.
To have your say on the closures please contact the Post Office before 2 April 2008. You can email consultation@postoffice.co.uk or call 08457 22 33 44. Alternatively you can email the council at shareyourviews@lbhf.gov.uk. A selection of views will appear on the council’s website.
