Post office plan hits the buffers (From York Press)

Post office plan hits the buffers

10:32am Monday 9th June 2008

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POST office bosses are refusing to help City of York Council reopen axed branches - because they say it will damage their remaining businesses.

Three York offices closed this spring as part of nationwide cuts in the network, but the city council agreed to look into reopening them.

The local authority contacted Post Office Ltd to request financial and legal information about the branches, but the mail company has refused to provide it.

In a letter to Roger Ranson, the council's assistant economic director, Jayne Harrison, of Post Office Ltd, said she was "unable" to provide the information sought.

She added: "We believe opening a locally-funded service in these locations would have an unacceptably high detrimental effect on the sustainability of the post office network in that area.

"We have identified that, as a result of the closures, a significant amount of business is predicted to migrate to other post office branches.

"In the event of these branches reopening, this business would not migrate and these nearby branches would become less viable."

Micklegate post office in York was saved following a lengthy campaign against its initial closure plan. But the branches at Haxby Road, Clifton Green and Fulford have all shut their doors.

The council wanted to look into taking over some branches, as Essex County Council did when offices in its region closed, but the Post Office's letter now looks to have scuppered such hopes in York.

Fulford councillor Keith Aspden said: "It is incredibly disappointing that Post Office Ltd is unwilling to help the council reopen post offices in York.

"It is particularly frustrating that they are in negotiations with Essex County Council and yet unwilling to help us here in York by providing the same information.

"Without the information they need, council officers cannot even look at the possibility of reopening post offices around the city which have been such vital community assets to York residents.

"We can only hope that Post Office Ltd may reverse its decision if the Essex plan to reopen post offices becomes a reality."

A council spokeswoman added: "We have received a letter from the Post Office indicating that it is unwilling to provide further information on the post offices to close, due to concerns about the impact the reopening of these would have on the viability of the remaining network. We are considering the best course of action."

The Press vigorously opposed the closure of post offices across our region, through our Cut The Closures campaign.

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