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Post Office closure for "own convenience"
4:48pm Wednesday 23rd July 2008
Comments (7)A PARISH council has accused the Post Office of saving a branch for its own convenience rather than what is good for the village.
Wooburn and Bourne End Parish Council believe both branches in Bourne End should be saved.
The post office in The Parade, in the centre of the village, is earmarked for closure but the branch in Furlong Road looks set to be retained.
The two branches offer similar services except Furlong Road accepts DVLA forms and has a sorting office.
In a letter to Post Office, the council said: "Post Office have chosen Furlong Road for it's own convenience, as it provides more services, and have not considered it's customers."
The council listed a number of reasons for keeping both branches open.
Councillors said that two thirds of the population of Bourne End are closer to the Parade post office than Furlong Road.
And that the Furlong Road branch would not be able to cope if The Parade office shut.
Cllr Margaret Marshall said: "Bourne End is an expanding population so there will be an increase in demand."
Furlong Road already has a parking problem and no disabled access to the branch.
Whereas The Parade post office has lots of public parking and numerous shops nearby.
Cllr Simon Bazley said: "The Parade is far more accessible to our whole parish and Little Marlow parish."
Councillors were concerned about the affect on the elderly and said their safety may be at risk as it is a longer walk from the village centre and there is no crossing near the Furlong Road branch.
Another post office is also set to close in the parish.
The branch in Wycombe Lane, Wooburn Green, is scheduled to shut.
Councillors said they fear for the future of the shop attached to the Wycombe Lane post office if the branch closed.
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George - Wycombe, says...
8:08pm Wed 23 Jul 08
TV licences can be bought direct from the licensing authority, Road fund licences from the DVLA via the Internet, Pensions and Benefits can be paid direct into bank accounts, stamps from shops, there is little need for post office counters apart from posting parcels.
The only reason anyone I have spoken to about closures have come forward with to keep them was, I need the PO Counters to pay pensions of social benefits IN CASH, when asked why not into a bank account the answer comes back, If the social etc were to know how much I have they will stop some of the extra payments. Pensioners drawing considerable sums on pension day put themselves at risk from muggers.
The Post Office is no different from any other business they need to be competitive, areas where the work is duplicated need to be pruned without any interference from vote seeking councillors.
Ivor, says...
8:55pm Wed 23 Jul 08
The Post Office is a public service and closing branches simply reduces the service which it is supposed to provide.
Have you read Ivors blog today? Click on the Opinion link on the menu on the left then click on Readers Blogs.
George - Wycombe, says...
11:23pm Wed 23 Jul 08
How often do you use any post office.
Public services have to be paid for, that money comes out of our taxes, there is a point where services surplus to requirement have to be pruned, if not eventually there would be NO services left to complain about.
Bourne End is not being left without a post office and the distance between the two involved is minimal.
Keith, Wooburn Green says...
10:25am Thu 24 Jul 08
In my opinion, this closure is unwarranted, ill-conceived, and potentially disastrous for the village community of Bourne End.
I am aware that Bourne End has another branch in Furlong Road, but this is out of the village centre & has minimal parking (in an already renowned road for heavy traffic/illegal parking).
Bourne End has many elderly residents, only a few of which live at the Furlong Road end of the village, and many of whom are without transport. To ask them to make a trip OUT of the village centre simply to visit ONE concern (i.e. the Post office) is absurd, unfair and distressing.
Is the Parade branch underused? Not in my regular experience. I run a business from home and use the Post Office DAILY. Not once can I remember a day that I have not had to queue for service so I fail to see that any argument that demand is not there is a valid one - it is palpably untrue.Demand would of course be increased further had this branch been allowed to carry out ALL PO services (Road Fund Licence etc etc)
To rip the Post Office from the heart of the village is to rip the heart itself from that village and it shows an outrageous lack of understanding from both the Post office and the Government.
Spitfire, High Wycombe says...
10:58am Thu 24 Jul 08
Keith, Wooburn Green says...
11:27am Thu 24 Jul 08
Spitfire wrote:100% yes it is!
Is the Post Office really the 'heart of the village'? Is it the heart of any village? Or is it just rhetoric used by vote hungry politicans and people frightened of change and progress?
Even more so in so mnay other more remote villages sufering similar closures. I visited Worth Matravers in Dorset this week - their branch is also to be closed entailing a five mile journey to the nearest remaining branch, with limited public transport for an ageing population whose main contact with people at large is through their Post Office. It is not rhetoric when I tell you that when I brought the closure subject up with locals, they quite literally burst into tears - THAT'S what it means to a village community.
Sorry if that sounds like politician speak, which I loathe (and I'm entirely apolitical) - I'm just recounting true experience.
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morty, High Wycombe says...
5:18pm Wed 23 Jul 08