Council bosses asked to save Post Offices

1:17am Saturday 5th April 2008

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BOSSES at City of York Council are being asked to consider taking over the running of four city post offices in a bid to save them.

Conservative councillor John Galvin has tabled a motion, to go before full council next week, for talks to be held with the Post Office into the possibility of taking over Fulford, Haxby Road, Micklegate and Clifton Green branches.

Such a move would follow the example set by Essex County Council which is negotiating with the Post Office to help threatened branches.

Fulford Road and Haxby Road, which have closed, Clifton Green - due to close on May 1 - and Micklegate Post Office in York were among 2,500 national closures announced to stem network losses of £4 million a week. The future of the Micklegate branch is yet to be decided after consumer group Postwatch asked for the decision to be reviewed.

Coun Galvin said: "Post offices are very much at the social centre of these communities and I think as an authority we have a duty to explore the possibility of running them.

"It is being done in other parts of the country."

However, he conceded: "It may prove too expensive."

Selby MP John Grogan said he had already looked into how much the Post Office would ask to keep the post offices from closing.

"The average was £18,000 a year for each post office and you have to do it for three years.

"If the council decided to do that I am sure the people in Fulford would welcome it, but councillors will clearly have to consider it carefully."

Green party Coun Andy D-Agorne said such action was too late.

"I think they have missed the boat for proposing this. Some have already shut up shop. Presumably, the owners will be on the point of selling them, if they haven't already."

But Labour councillor David Scott said: "I don't think it is too late in the day. Post Offices have been re-opened in the past. Rawcliffe Post Office was re-opened when the sub post master retired. It still is possible.

"It has to be feasible and affordable. We have always said that these post offices were making or could make a profit."

Liberal Democrat councillor and prospective Parliamentary candidate for York Christian Vassie said he supported the idea of looking into the council taking over the branches.

"But the sums have to add up," he warned.

"We have to be confident that by taking over a few sub post offices, we aren't providing the Government with a mechanism of dumping the running of all the post offices on local authorities."

A Post Office spokeswoman said: "We are very willing to work with local authorities and other groups who want to fund, and provide premises and staff, for additional services in their community."

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