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March 6th, 2007

You have until Thursday to save the Post Office

post office

The Government of the UK is asking for advice on what do do about the Post Offices and it wants to know what you think before Thursday. There are plans to close several thousand branches.

Here are some news reports:
SundayMirror.co.uk – News – ‘MORE POS TO CLOSE’
Newbury Today | Council slams Post Office closures
Denbighshire Free Press News – Post office supporters gather

As you can see I have had to find some unusual news sources as most of the mainstream press is not reporting on this deadline.

My own view is that more creativity in finding new forms of income for Post Offices is needed. Allowing more Government services to take place there is one good idea. I found this idea from one of the links above interesting:

…the Ibex Inn in Chaddleworth allows customers to send mail and pay bills while having a pint.

The only danger with this is that after a few drinks one might find oneself sending all sorts of ill-advised letters that one might not have sent had one not had those aforementioned drinks.

Other essential resources:
The ‘Don’t close the Post Office‘ song and video by JonnyB.
Actually that is the only one.

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8 Responses to “You have until Thursday to save the Post Office”


  1. Ann says:

    Our (USA) pensions get direct deposited into our bank accounts – no need for the PO.

    March 6th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
  2. ash says:

    How are we meant to consult? there’s no online form to fill in!!

    March 6th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
  3. Smudgie says:

    I could let them know what I think about the post office, but at the moment it wouldn’t be very polite. Chances of my contribution saving the local post office would be very slim indeed. I think there is a campaign going on to make people so irritated by the petty bureaocracy (however you spell the word) and undermanned branches where you can’t get anything you need because it isn’t a main branch, that they begin to protest that the post offices SHOULD close. It’s working with me!

    March 6th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
  4. David Keen says:

    There is an online response form: go to http://www.dti.gov.uk/consultations/page36024.html (Dave’s link above), and open the Word file at the bottom of the page. You can fill it in and email it to the DTI and they give you an email address.

    March 7th, 2007 at 11:52 am
  5. joe says:

    I think – once again – we are offered two polar opposites when the truth is that we actually need to have something in the middle.

    If a post office sees one customer in a blue baboon, maybe the community doesn’t actually need a full time service. Maybe a mobile or part time post office is more appropriate.

    Maybe we need to think out of the box, and realise that most of the expense is caused because all post offices supply a range of services – even if customers never actually use them. Maybe in some communities, people just need regular access to postage stamps – which surely cannot be that complicated to arrange – together with a less regular provision for other services that post offices provide.

    Unfortunately this is all rather too sensible for people to understand. ‘Save our post offices’ is a better slogan than ‘actually it’d be kinda nice to have a regular access to postage stamps together with a less regular provision for other services that post offices provide.’

    March 7th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
  6. Dave says:

    As I see it one of the strengths of a physical Post Office is that it caters for people who cannot do a lot of the things that many of us do over the internet. We can do things over the internet because we are young and well off, but not everyone is those things.

    Another point: All Post Offices I go to are busy places where you have to queue.

    March 7th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
  7. Karin says:

    Interesting thought, Joe, although mobile libraries are a bit limited in the functions they perform, but perhaps mobile Post Offices would have access to better technology or find a way to cope without computers, too.

    March 7th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
  8. Mary says:

    I process a payroll for pensioners and have over a 1000 who do not have a bank a/c and instead receive a girocheque which they cash at the PO. What are they supposed to do?

    As for mobile libraries – we have one of those and I’d really miss it if it went. I can browse for books at the same time as my children, unlike the bricks and mortar library I went to where I was told to supervise my children for child protection reasons, so I had to drag them with me, while I looked round the adult books.

    Not only that, our librarian offers a far better service than the B&M library, in terms of book recommendations and general social chit-chat. I actually lent him one of MY books a few weeks back!

    I should imagine village POs have the same appeal for some!

    March 7th, 2007 at 10:20 pm