Meeting to Discuss the Closure of Rugby's Crown Post Office

11.15.29am BST (GMT +0100) Sun 22nd May 2005

All four of the political groups represented on Rugby Borough Council have united in their opposition to the Post Office's plans to close Rugby's Crown Post Office. Under the Post Office's plans it would be sold off to a private supermarket chain (PrimeCo).

Councillors from all four groups joined with union officials and members of the public at a meeting held in Rugby's Masonic Hall, Little Church Street last Wednesday night. About 30 people attended the meeting. Both Rugby's newly elected member of parliament, Jeremy Wright, and its outgoing MP, Andy King, added their voices to the protest. PostWatch representative Peter Wakefield was present to observe the meeting. The Post Office did not send any official representatives to the meeting.

The meeting was organised by Cllr Glenda Allanach (Paddox Ward) and chaired by Cllr Laurie Wright (Earl Craven & Wolston).

Union officials, Ian Ward and Melanie Paterson, expressed their shock that PrimeCo had advertised jobs at the proposed sub-post office without any forewarning for the Post Office staff concerned. There was concern that the Post Office was only guaranteeing that there would be a replacement sub-post office in the centre of Rugby for five years. At the end of that period there might be no service at all. When PrimeCo had taken over the Leamington Post Office the number of serving positions had been cut to two.

Councillors at the meeting raised wider concerns about the fate of the sub-post office network in Rugby and its rural area in the longer term.

There were concerns raised about access for people with disabilities if the old crown post office was to be converted to a mini-supermarket. Introducing shelves with cans of tinned food into the centre of the post office could make it very difficult for people in wheelchairs or using crutches to get to the post officer counters.

Cllr Neil Sandison (Eastlands) said that the withdrawal of the crown post office would make Rugby less attractive for businesses and he was also concerned about the viability of another mini-supermarket which would shortly be facing in-town competition from ASDA.

Cllr Craig Humphries (Bilton) explained that Rugby Borough Council was united in opposing the closure of the Crown Post Office. It was agreed that as leader of the Council he would write to the Post Office and ask them to extend their consultation period on the closure of the post office and that the leaders of all the political groups on the Council would add their signatures to the letter.

Jeremy Wright MP also agreed to write about the planned closure of the crown post office.