Post Office closures consultation 'a sham'

4:28pm Wednesday 23rd July 2008

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A PUBLIC consultation over the proposed closure of seven post offices in Bolton has been branded "a sham” by the town’s leading Conservative councillor.

Councillor John Walsh, leader of the Conservative group on Bolton Council, has written to Post Office Uk Ltd expressing concerns about the way the six-week consultation, which ended on Monday, has been handled.

Cllr Walsh has also criticised the leadership of the council for not taking into account suggestions his party made to help keep some of the threatened branches open.

The council’s executive will consider a report on Friday, July 25, on the closures, but Cllr Walsh said it was ‘too little, too late’.

He said: “Considering that the council unanimously supported my motion back on April 23 that we should do all that we can to maintain the network, this report has been published very late in the day and makes no firm commitments.”

Post Office UK wants to close branches in Higher Chorley Old Road, Astley Bridge, Ainsworth Lane, Daisy Hill, Hart Common, Morris Green and Moses Gate.

The company’s 14,000-branch network lost £200m last year. The company is under pressure from the Government to cut the losses and so is to close 2,500 branches nationwide.

In his letter, Cllr Walsh says he “recognises the commercial imperative” of its business plan but argues that closing branches would have a “detrimental impact on surrounding businesses”.

He also describes the public consultation as a “sham” and meaningless because, if the case is made to keep one of the under-threat branches open, another in Bolton could be closed instead. The Tories say they should be looking at ways to move council and other community services into post office buildings to maintain customer levels and cut overheads.

They pointed out that Rochdale Council has pledged £140,000 over three years to keep seven branches open and that Bolton should do the same.

Cllr Cliff Morris, leader of the council, said yesterday: “We have submitted a robust response to the initial consultation. We will look at what is feasible to support post offices, if this is necessary, once Post Office Ltd has made its decisions about the future of the network.

“I’m surprised by Cllr Walsh’s comments as he was at the meeting which agreed the response to the initial consultation. As yet, the Post Office has not made any decisions about actual closures so it would be very premature to commit resources at this stage.”