Entries tagged with “Post Office” from Working For Walthamstow

Further to earlier posts on this blog, Neil Gerrard has now met with Post Office Limited to find out their plans for our postal services in Walthamstow High Street. The Post Office Ltd informed him that they had let the present building at the top of the High Street on a five year lease with the intention of moving into the new Arcade site. At present a new further five year lease is being put in place for the current building. The Post Office Ltd admitted that they had not been in contact with the Council regarding the new Arcade site and as such no plans have been made for them to be accommodated in the new building. Further to their meeting with Neil, talks have now begun with the local authority and the developers of the Arcade site to determine if the Post Office can be part of the building. Neil will continue to pursue this matter to ensure that thought is given to the long term future of the High Street Post Office. I will update this webiste with further information on this issue as and when I receive it.

Post Office Ltd revealed last month that it would be rethinking its decision to close the branches in Forest Road, Chingford Road and Orford Road, in the light of local opposition. However, we've learned this week that they still intend to close the Chingford Road and Orford Road branches. The Forest Road post office will remain. Neil Gerrard and I have been working closely with local residents on these issues and we've put out a press statement that I've reproduced here in full for information.

Neil Gerrard, MP for Walthamstow, and Stella Creasy, local community campaigner, today welcomed the news that the Forest Road Post Office is to be kept open but expressed their anger and dismay at the decision that two Post Office branches in Walthamstow are to close. "We are pleased that the Forest Road Branch has been reprieved and that the Post office listened to the concerns we and others raised" said Neil and Stella "but we cannot understand the logic of the decisions on the other two branches. The arguments that appear to have been accepted as justifying keeping this branch open, such as the needs of elderly people living nearby, apply with equal force to the other branches. The result of these decisions will be that many local people will find it much more difficult to access Post Office services. The High Street Post Office is already inadequate to handle the number of people using it, and these closures will make that situation worse. When the review of the original closure proposals was announced Postwatch specifically asked that action should be taken to improve the queuing times at the High Street main Post Office. This was in recognition of the fact that more people will go there if other Branches are closed. This has been totally ignored by the Post Office. For many people who now use the Orford Road and Chingford Road branches it will be very inconvenient to have to travel to the High Street or other branches. We are particularly disappointed that the Post Office have ignored the strongly held views of local people and have simply failed to answer the clear and strong case that was put forward for keeping all three branches open. We want to thank those local residents who supported the campaign to keep the Post Offices open. We will now be seeking an urgent meeting with the Post Office about these decisions and will be asking what plans they have to improve the services provided at the High Street Crown Post Office.

Further to previous posts, the results of the Post Office consultation on planned closures have been announced. The proposals for closure of all three post offices in Walthamstow have been put to "further review". We don't know as yet what this will mean in terms of alternative proposals for our service and the timescale is as unclear. But, from the feedback we've had, I understand that the concerns raised by local residents, including those over queues at the central post office and its ability to cope, were key in this re-think. Thank you to everyone who took part in the campaign - we will fight on to make sure Walthamstow has the post office service it needs. It does show that campaigning can be effective! I'll keep updating readers of this blog with details of the next stage of this process as and when I get them. You can read how the local paper covered this here.

This week the Post Office addressed the Council Scrutiny Commission on their plans to close 30 per cent of our post offices in Walthamstow. The message came back loud and clear that it is vital as many individuals as possible participate in the consultation. I'm disappointed to report that although all the political parties in Walthamstow are backing this campaign, the Lib Dem Chair of the committee explicitly used his position to deny me the opportunity to contribute to the meeting as a local resident. If I had been given the chance to speak up for Walthamstow I would have asked:

 
1) At the Scrutiny meeting they refused to reveal the financial viability of the branches. Can they confirm whether the three Walthamstow Post Offices they propose to close - which have over 1500 customers a week - are losing or making money?

2) PostWatch, the consumer watchdog for postal services, state that they believe these proposals will leave significant areas of Walthamstow a "postal desert". Why won't they respond to this criticism?

3) Our regeneration plans for Walthamstow Town Centre, the Olympics and the Blackhorse Lane development will bring new housing to the area and so new people. Given the High Street post office is already struggling to cope, why haven't they factored existing and future demand for services into their plans?

4) They claim the walk between Forest Road and the High Street is "varied terrain". They didn't know that there are several residential homes within 100 yards of the Orford Road post office. Have they actually walked the distances they expect our elderly residents to go if they close the branches they suggest?

5) Our High Street post office is in rented accommodation. Negotiations for the new arcade development are on-going and so any space for the Post Office is not confirmed. How can they be confident that they will be able to provide a full Post Office for people in Walthamstow in these circumstances?

 
The more people who put these issues to the Post Office, the more they will have to listen to local knowledge so please join with me in raising these five questions and encouraging as many local residents as possible to do so too by circulating this email. You have until Wednesday 2 April to put your views to the Post Office. You can comment either in writing to National Consultation Team Post Office Ltd, FREEPOST CONSULTATION TEAM (no stamp is required) or using this form on the Post Office website.

The council is holding a Scrutiny Commission meeting on 12 March at 7.30pm at the Town Hall to discuss the proposals to close six post offices in the borough. Three of these are in Walthamstow- Orford Road, Chingford Road and Forest Road (at the Bell Corner). Both the Post Office and Post Watch (the Post Office consumer watchdog) will be attending to answer questions about the proposals. At present provision is only made for 5 members of the public to address the meeting. I'm working with my Labour colleagues on the committee to lobby the Chair to increase this as we want as many local people as possible to have a chance to put their views to the Post Office. To help us with this please can you email me to let me know if you or other local residents wish to speak so we can show the Committee the likely interest. If you do want to quiz the Post Office you will also need to formally register with the Committee Clerk at least 48 hours before the meeting. You can do this via email here.

I'm also working with local residents groups and our London Assembly member Jennette Arnold to organise stalls and petitions outside the affected post offices and in the town centre on the weekend of the 8-9 March. We're looking for volunteers for either the Saturday or Sunday lunchtime and afternoon so if you would like to help out get in touch. Remember you can also respond to the proposals at the Post Office website here- but you only have until April 2 to do so!

Many of you have contacted me this week because the Post Office has published proposals to close three of our local post offices, moving services to other venues nearby. The offices affected are in Orford Road, Forest Road (near the Bell Corner) and on Chingford Road. These proposals are now open for consultation with local residents with a final decision being made by 2 April.

 

It's vital the Post Office hears from people who live near these sites about how they use these services and what they want before they make any final decisions. The Post Office is facing difficult times and all political parties agree something should be done. However I disagree with the Lib Dems that privatisation is the answer because some branches play a vital role in our local communities and that's why I believe they need continued public subsidy. We also need to ensure the Post Office stick to their commitment to providing our Crown Post Office in the centre of Walthamstow.

 

I'll be working with my colleague at the Greater London Authority Jennette Arnold to make sure the Post Office are aware of the views of people in Walthamstow on these changes so if you would like to help please do get in touch. You can comment on these proposals either by writing to National Consultation Team Post Office Ltd, FREEPOST CONSULTATION TEAM (no stamp is required) or using this form