The future of the district’s Post Offices will be discussed at the next meeting of Lancaster City Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee at 6.00pm in Morecambe Town Hall on 30 January, and locals are invited to attend.
Last year, the Post Office announced that it was reviewing the future provision of its branches across the country and proposals for Lancashire will be revealed on Tuesday January 22, followed by a six week consultation period.
After swingeing cuts to post offices in the last round of cuts, which met with huge (but largely unsuccessful) opposition, the Council seems keen to acknowledge the importance of those Post Offices that remains in our community, and intends to play a role in the consultation.
Nationally, around 2,500 post offices from the 14,500 plus service are to close. (A list of some of the planned closures was leaked onto the Internet last year). The Post Office, outlining its plans as “Network Change” claims fewer people are using its branches – and opting instead to use services online. The organisation has almost consistently refused to recognise that although those post offices still open are within three miles distance of “99 per cent” of potential customers, many do not have the means – public or private – to get to them. Sub post offices also lost business because the Government has often failed to promote their services despite being a publicly owned service. For example, when pensions began to be switched from over the counter payment to direct bank payment, the Post Office’s banking services were not promoted.
Some branches will be replaced by mobile post offices or other ‘outreach’ services.
On 30 January the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee has invited Mark Wright, regional development manager, and Julia Young, senior external relations manager, from the Post Office to outline the proposals. (You can listen to a BBC interview with Mark Wright by following this link – requires RealPlayer)
Chris Thirkettle from PostWatch, an organisation which is scrutinising the proposals and consultation process, will also be in attendance. (Postwatch cannot stop closures from happening, but says it will investigate every proposal to ensure that customers’ reasonable access to post office services is retained. Postwatch have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Post Office Ltd which sets out in detail the role that they will play in the programme.)
“Our meeting will provide an opportunity for members of the public to hear, first hand, the proposals for the Post Office in this area,” feels Coun Stuart Langhorn, chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. “People will then have a chance to make a response to what they have heard.”
• The meeting will take place at Morecambe Town Hall from 6.00pm on 30 January and everyone is welcome to attend.
• If you would like to the opportunity to speak at the meeting then please contact Democratic Services on (01524) 582047, or alternatively email scrutiny@lancaster.gov.uk.