Council inquiry into PO closures - Councillor comments

5.40.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 18th Mar 2008

Comments from Liberal Democrat Councillors attending the Council's Public Consultation Meeting on Post Office proposals.

Don Foster MP collecting signatures against local Post Office closures

Councillor Dine Romero (Southdown), who sat on the panel today, said, "The consultation on Post Office closures is less about democracy, and people's wishes, and more about accountancy. At the end of the day, what residents want doesn't really matter. The Post Office is looking at this purely financially and not from the point of view of the community they'll just railroad their decision through."

Councillor Nigel Roberts (Odd Down), who also sat on the panel, said, "We are quite concerned that this is not the final programme. When the Government subsidy to Post Office Ltd runs out in 2011, it is clear that another massive round of Post Office closures may occur. The Council needs to consider its social responsibilities to all the communities it serves as the Labour Government is obviously neglecting its duties."

Councillor Caroline Roberts (Newbridge), who spoke about the Lower Weston Post Office, said, "It is not only the elderly who use this Post Office. We have been told by residents as far away as Kelston village and Victoria Park that they use the Lower Weston Post Office. But also many of the nearby businesses have told us that they use it and it would take a lot more time out of their working day for a member of staff to have to travel to Weston village or the city centre to carry out their business. Indeed one business owner told us that he had recently located to a nearby office because the premises are near the Post Office."

Councillor Loraine Brinkhurst (Newbridge) also spoke about the Lower Weston Post Office, "The Post Office has already admitted that it has not taken into account the residents who will live in the new Bath Western Riverside development, which should be served by the Lower Weston Post Office. There are also likely to be businesses and a school in BWR - again this will mean more demand for Post Office services. Beyond this, I reminded the Post Office representative that there are no direct bus routes from the Lower Weston Post Office to the next nearest Post Office. It will be very difficult for people to get there."