Lib Dems Ask Post Office To Think Again Over Albion Street Branch Closure

1.35.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 16th Jul 2008

Lib Dems and residents campaigning with Lib Dem MEP Liz Lynne on post office closures earlier in the year

Liberal Democrat councillors and campaigners have stepped up their pressure on the Post Office to reconsider its plan to close the post office branch at 112A Albion Street Kenilworth, or to support an alternative way of ensuring that services are maintained in the area.

Nigel Rock, Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Kenilworth & Southam, has written to the Post Office as follows:

"I object to the proposed closure of this post office outlet. My objections are: the problems to be faced by the elderly and infirm and the loss of community focus.

"The Post Office's branch access report correctly identifies the nearest outlets to Albion Street as Abbey End and High Street, and also makes clear the hilly terrain between these branches. The three outlets in question form an equidistantly arranged triangle and all serve distinct communities in the town. Also, as identified within the access report, the branch has a level access with automatic door.

"The local demographics of the area served by Albion Street have a significant proportion of elderly and less able people who would be severely disadvantaged by having to walk to the specified alternatives, which both have stepped entrances. As well a local parking difficulty, urban traffic is a problem, increased car use is undesirable from a sustainability perspective and in any case many of the households served are not in possession of personal transport. Although there is a bus service, disabled access to local bus services is not guaranteed by the service providers and the fleets used have a number "high floor" vehicles.

"It is unclear what the delineation of the area is made (described as 'within I mile of the branch') in the access report to derive the statistics. At minimum, a detailed understanding of circumstances of the population within the area actually served must be made to enable an analysis of this aspect before proceeding further. This would be expected to confirm objectively and statistically what local observation shows about these mobility issues."

Ward district councillor Ann Blacklock (Liberal Democrat, Kenilworth Abbey) has written to the Post Office objecting to the closure, but also backing the alternative 'Outreach Services' idea put forward by Lib Dem county councillor John Whitehouse this week. She wrote:

"This Post Office is under notice of closure. As one of the ward Councillors I wish to explain to you why there are good reasons to keep it open for the local community.

"Although Abbey Ward as a whole is prosperous and has a very low 'deprivation score', this area is very much the exception. The streets surrounding this Post Office have - a high concentration of council-owned properties, a concentration of the vulnerable elderly, and a concentration of people on benefits. They rely heavily on the Post Office.

"1. The Elderly: A large proportion do not have personal transport and a bus journey to the town centre may look easy on paper but in practice it is very daunting for them. Some have carers and Social Service agency workers who include a visit to the Post Office as part of their caring package, in good weather they may escort their client to the Post Office. Very convenient when it is in walking distance, impossibly inconvenient otherwise. Many younger people have told me that if the Post Office is closed, they personally could manage somehow, but for the older residents the loss would be significant and irreplaceable.

"2. The Local Businesses: Albion Street is a designated Local Shopping Centre, where the various businesses [shops, post office, hairdressers, dry-cleaners, cafe, pubs etc] form a viable hub and enjoy mutual support. They use the Post Office for banking and other transactions. Its loss would mean they would lose a safe and nearby banking facility and the customer footfall would decline, thus affecting the local economy.

"3. The Catchment Area: Our survey shows a surprisingly wide range of addresses among people who use this Post Office regularly. For example, customers come from Stoneleigh, an outlying village which lost its own Post Office a few years ago. This saves them a longer journey, and a search for a parking space in the town centre, and a long queue at the main Post Office. Customer choice should be taken into account.

"There is clearly a need and an on -going demand for Post Office services in Albion Street. For the reasons given above, I hope you will be able to re-consider the proposal to withdraw services from the location. If the present host business is unable to continue the arrangement, then I ask you to examine very carefully and positively the options for establishing an 'Outreach Service' point here, to ensure the local community retains all the benefits of a local Post Office."