THIS week we received the final tranche of bad news regarding our post offices. Yes, the four Horsham town centre branches proposed for closure are indeed going to be forced to close their doors.
I was shocked to hear the news but not surprised and I'll explain why.
I am shocked that Post Office Ltd can claim that the Carfax branch will be able to cope with the extra demand on its services.
It's already struggling to cope – what will h
appen when the North Parade, Queen Street, Station Road and St Leonards Road branches shut and their loyal customers turn to the Carfax?
Queues already routinely snake out of the door. Elderly people, those with young children and people trying to run small businesses already wait half an hour to post a parcel or buy a stamp. And yet, Post Office Ltd say things will be fine. I dread to think how long we'll be queuing in the future.
At the same time, I was not actually surprised by their decision and that's because earlier this year 41 out of the 49 Sussex branches that were proposed for closure were closed. This was despite spirited campaigns from communities such as Warnham, who fought to save their post office and who made their views crystal clear.
In Warnham it was obvious that the impact on local residents would be devastating – many would simply be unable to access vital services. The decision defied common sense and logic.
The eight remaining branches, including the four in Horsham, were given a temporary stay of execution as Post Office Ltd believed further investigation was needed.
As the weeks dragged on, could we dare to hope that common sense would prevail and the four Horsham branches would be saved?
Would Post Office Ltd listen to the views of those of us who regularly tackle the queues at the Carfax branch?
The answer is no. Each of the eight remaining branches would be closing. Common sense and logic were once again lacking.
So, all in all, 49 branches were proposed for closure and 49 will be closing.
Local people will be left with the ordeal of using the Carfax branch and will also be left asking whether Post Office Ltd actually listened to the public during the period of official public consultation?
There is no going back and no appeals process. We did all we could to save our post offices but the final decision really is final. I will now be throwing my support behind West Sussex County Council's exploration of ways to provide some post offices services in, for example, council premises. It's not ideal but it may stop other communities suffering in the future.
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