Axe falls on post offices (From Redditch Advertiser)

Axe falls on post offices

4:22pm Tuesday 4th November 2008 in News By David Searle

THE fate of two Redditch post offices targeted in the current Government cull is now known and the Mount Pleasant and Woodrow branches will be closed.

Following a six-week public consultation as part of a Government policy to reduce the number of post offices across the country, 54 branches will close in Herefordshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands, and the two Redditch ones earmarked last month are scheduled to be gone by the end of this month.

George Atkinson, who led the campaign to keep Mount Pleasant open, was very disappointed about the decision.

“We felt we had a very good case,” he said.

“We had the backing of Jacqui Smith so they’ve gone against the Home Secretary’s advice but I’m sure the Post Office’s managing director Alan Cook will be on target for his bonus.

“I thought we were in with a good chance with all the support but this is the decision and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

He asked how long it would be before the performance of pillar boxes is measured and the Government decides to close them.

Former town mayor Madge Tillsley MBE, who joined the campaign to keep Mount Pleasant post office open, said she was disgusted with the decision.

“These bureaucrats do not care about the communities they operate in, only about profit margins.

“There’s three elderly people’s homes in the vicinity of Mount Pleasant and I think it’s disgusting they’re taking away this facility that was so valued by so many residents.

“Why invite people to take part in a consultation when the decision was already made?”

Redditch Conservative spokesman Karen Lumley said she was devastated that both branches are closing.

“It seems cynical that such a high profile campaign was made and the cuts still went through,” she said.

“We need to be aware that this may not be the end and other post masters may be looking over their shoulders too. I feel desperately sorry for the vulnerable people in the community and the fact that the elderly will have to travel some distance to the nearest post office is the biggest blow.”

Mark Partington, Post Office Ltd’s network development manager for Herefordshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands, said he believed that the plan offers customers the best prospect for a sustainable network in the future.