Post office move may wreck Littlehampton’s service

Campaigners with councillor Mike Northeast, left, who chaired Mondays meeting.

Carl Maden, spokesman for the Communication Workers Union (CWU) – which in recent months has organised strikes protesting against the planned move of the Arcade office to elsewhere in the town – issued his warning during Monday’s public meeting (June 3) at the New Millennium Chamber, Manor House, in Church Street.

During the two-hour meeting, which was attended by two representatives from Post Office ltd, Labour’s MEP candidate for the South East of England, councillors and about 40 residents, Mr Maden said: “Five years ago 79 Crown offices were franchised into WHSmith.

“This, frankly, proved to be a disaster.

“The general agreement from customers was that service was severely affected. And that’s no surprise.

“You can’t expect a retailer, who is interested predominantly in their own business, to offer staff with the same level of expertise as the ones currently employed.”

His warning came days after a four-week “expression of interest” period, conducted by the post office to see which retailers in the town, if any, would be willing to take on the town’s service, ended.

However, Martine Munby, senior stakeholder manager for Post Office ltd, explained the Arcade’s Crown office was a “loss-making branch”, saying that for every £1 of income gained by the office, the branch was still having to pay costs totalling £1.59.

She added this was no reflection on the staff at the branch, but of the overall business model, which she claimed would be vastly improved if the post office was partnered with a larger retailer in the town.

“The current business model doesn’t work,” she said. “Partnering with a franchisee is beneficial to everyone. Costs and overheads are shared and reduced and footfall for the business increased.”

But, Littlehampton town councillor Malcolm Belchamber – who works at Leaders Estate Agents, in the Arcade, argued the move may benefit one business, but would ruin more than a dozen others in the Arcade.

“If the post office goes, all those business in the Arcade will die,” he said. “They all rely on the passing trade the post office provides.”

Mrs Mundy said a full consultation would take place if a suitable shop was found following the results of the four-week study, but promised that whatever happened, the town would still have a post office.