All our post offices are valuable
As the consultation on the fate of six Wealden post offices comes to an end, Wealden District Council is making an impassioned plea for the value of all its 42 post offices.
“We have consulted widely before and during the consultation, and believe there are very sound reasons for keeping these six post offices open – as well as two more just over our borders which also face closure,” said Councillor Pam Doodes, Leader of Wealden District Council.
“But we have seen what happened in Kent where two post offices were reprieved, only for another two post offices – equally important – to be selected for closure by Post Office Ltd.
“We are not prepared to see one post office saved, only for another to be summarily condemned in another village. We are one of the largest rural communities in the South East and post offices are an integral part of the fabric of our lives and local economy. We will be happy to explore ways of working with the Post Office to try to keep as many of these post offices open as possible.
“Post Office Ltd’s current closure plans will force many of our elderly and most vulnerable residents to make stressful journeys to post offices miles away. They will force the closure of the last remaining shop for a number of communities.
The Post Office also appears to ignore the expected growth in Wealden’s population over the next 20 years. Without local post offices this can only mean more traffic and pollution, unsafe roads and unsustainability.
“We are hoping that the future of the ‘People’s Post Office’ includes rural people as well. Its current plans will cause real and widespread difficulties for some residents, particularly the young and elderly.”
Wealden District Council carried out an extensive survey of the district’s sub postmasters in March, when the Post Office Ltd announced its intentions. Following the publication of Post Office’s hit list of 49 Sussex post offices, Wealden district councillors have attended numerous public meetings to discuss those post offices threatened within Wealden and have listed the specific local importance of the post offices within their wards, regardless of whether they have been designated for closure or not.
Wealden District Council gives long term support to local post offices through:
- Rural settlement rate relief of up to 80% for post offices where it is the last shop in a rural settlement.
- Issuing payment cards to residents to pay Council Tax and other payments at their local post office.
- Grant funding for Action in rural Sussex to help support local businesses, specifically post offices.
Wealden District Council has also been working with the East Sussex Rural Partnership to make local views known to Postwatch and other national lobbying organisations.
