Saving one post office will close another

The news that one in three of the branches in the area are set to shut has alarmed their thousands of users.

A six-week consultation period about the proposals will close on March 10. A final decision is expected the final month with closures taking place in May.

The axe threatens Craigweil PO in Barrack Lane, Aldwick; Tudor News PO in Aldwick Street, Aldwick; Station Road PO, Bognor; South Bersted PO, Gordon Avenue; 53 Hawthorn Road, Bognor.

The Post Office's south east network development manager, told Gary Herbert them the number of closures would stay the same even if the protests were successful.

"If we take branches out of the plans, in most cases we have to replace them with other branches."

They might not be in the same area but they would be in the broader region in which the local branches were included.

It was inevitable that a town, such as Bognor, with such a large concentration of branches, would be hit hard by the slimming-down of the network.

"We may be proposing to close five branches but we are also proposing to leave 11," he pointed out.

Mr Herbert said the closures resulted from a government decision last May to fund a post office network with 2,500 branches fewer. Nationally, this means one in five closing.

Criteria such as access to alternatives, an area's terrain, public transport and the make-up of the population were all taken into account when branches were recommended for closure, he said.

These issues were assessed in personal visits and through desktop studies.

The suggestions, and the final decision, had to be checked by the Postwatch consumer body.

Mr Herbert urged everyone affected by the proposed closures to make their views known.

"It's myself who will make the decision at the end of the day.

"People don't believe we look at the letters. But every single letter, every single e-mail, or however people respond to the consultation is looked at by the consultation team.

"We have a legal obligation to look at every comment."

The proposals were criticised by councillors on the Joint Western Arun Area Committee. They agreed to write to Post Office Ltd with its concerns about the possible closures.

Committee chairman Cllr George Blampeid said: "At the end of the day, I hope we don't end up with five closures."

Cllr Francis Oppler, whose Orchard area includes three branches under threat, said he would back protestors fighting the closure.

But he stated: "The community is going to perceive this as a done deal."

Cllr Simon McDougall said up to 40 per cent of the residents around some of the threatened closures did not have cars. "I am absolutely staggered that these are the sites identified.

"Elderly people are going to struggle to get on public transport and come into town.

"If the Station Road branch closes, people are going to have to wait a long time to get served in the main High Street post office."