Author: Archive

Royal Mail’s plans to close 2,500 post offices could be thrown into disarray after the Mayor of London said yesterday that he would mount a legal challenge in the capital.

If Ken Livingstone is successful, other local authorities across the country could come under pressure to start similar action. He is seeking a judicial review of the closure of nearly 200 post offices in London because of the impact on local communities.

The closure programme across the country, which is being rolled out regionally, has been controversial because Royal Mail’s Post Office division is only allowing a six-week public consultation period.

Post office branches and communities have complained that this is far too short a time to take effective action. The Commons Business and Enterprise Select Committee has also attacked the closures as rushed. There has also been concern because the closures are compulsory and often opposed by the sub-postmasters.

In London, closures have caused more controversy because many post offices are profitable and well used, unlike some in rural areas where they do not get very much trade.

Mr Livingstone said: “Communities in every part of London, especially the most vulnerable people, depend on their local post office. Post Office Ltd has not provided adequate time to consult on its proposals, leaving me with no alternative but to ask lawyers to seek leave to challenge their decision to close 171 post offices in London through a judicial review.”

He said that over the past seven years the number of post offices in London had been cut by 45 per cent while the number of people in the capital had increased. “Now is not the time to be closing post offices but expanding the service.”

Billy Hayes, general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, said: “This is a proportionate response to scandalous behaviour by Post Office Ltd, which seems determined to strip the country of post offices. The consultation has been completely inadequate. We fully support Ken Livingstone’s actions.”

Post Office Ltd opened a six-week local public consultation on its Area Plan for Cumbria with the criteria and factors set by the Government in its Response Document (DTI The Post Office Network, Government response to public consultation May 2007 – www.dti.gov.uk/consultations/page36024.html).

The Area Plan proposes future provision of Post Office services through a network of 226 branches across the area, including 10 outreach outlets, while 35 existing branches would close.

Under the proposals, 98.5% of the area’s population will either see no change, or will remain within one mile of an alternative branch.

The 10 outreach services would use innovative ways to continue to provide Post Office services- particularly in smaller communities – where the existing branch is proposed for closure.

Possible types of outreach outlet could include a mobile service visiting small communities at set times, a hosted service operated within a third party premises for restricted hours each week, or a partner service within the premises of a local partner such as a pub landlord.

The detailed Area Plan proposal is now available from Post Office Ltd at www.postoffice.co.uk/networkchange, by emailing: [email protected] or by writing to: Post Office Ltd, Freepost Consultation Team (no stamp required).

Post Office Ltd is now seeking views on the proposed future service provision in the area, in particular views on access to Post Office services, the accessibility of alternative branches to those proposed for closure and the appropriate form of outreach to be provided.

The Government has already undertaken a 12-week national consultation before reaching a decision to reduce the UK-wide network of Post Office branches by up to 2,500 from its current level of over 14,000, while continuing to provide funding to support a more sustainable network in the future. The proposals now published support the national accessibility criteria introduced by the Government.