Axed post office to carry on serving (From York Press)

Axed post office to carry on serving

9:58am Thursday 5th June 2008

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A POST office whose card was marked as part of the massive network cull to cut costs has made a deal with another branch to stay open.

Tollerton Post Office was one of almost 50 branches due to close across York and North Yorkshire.

But after shutting up shop next Wednesday one final time under its current arrangements with the Post Office, it will reopen the following day in partnership with Poppleton Post Office.

There will be no ribbon-cutting to mark the "launch" - instead, sub postmaster Phil Lancaster stressed it would be business as usual.

"I am opening a partnership post office, so nothing changes for my customers. It is business as usual for me," he said.

He said under the private agreement, the Poppleton branch would supply him with products, such as stamps, car taxes and euros, and would receive a sum from the Post Office "for looking after me".

"I get paid less money but the service remains the same," he said.

Mr Lancaster campaigned against the proposed closure by posting letters to about 1,000 residents in neighbouring villages, asking them to put in writing why their branch should be saved. An estimated 700 people responded.

However, he told The Press: "It is one of those things, I am afraid. You have to move with the times. You can shout and scream and bawl all you like, but if I was running a business that wasn't making any money, I would do the same. The writing was on the wall."

Mr Lancaster, who has run his branch for nine years with the help of part-time staff, said the only change customers would notice was more retail space thanks to a new layout.

"We will see how it goes. We will leave it a couple of years and let it all settle down and then see what we think. In a couple of years, if it is not viable, I will address it again.

"There will be no banners or parties. It will shut at 1pm next Wednesday and the new one will open at 9am on Thursday.

"There will be no lapse in service."

Sonia and Darren Leeming, of Hawnby Stores and Tearoom, North Yorkshire, are celebrating their "independence" from the Post Office with a garden party on Sunday, June 8, from 4pm to 6pm.

The event follows their post office closure and has been organised to showcase what the area has to offer.

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