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21 February 2008
An article from the K&C News
A DOZEN POST OFFICES NAMED ON LIST
Pensioners to be hit hard if closures are realised
Pensioners will be hardest hit by the post office massacre which will decimate hubs of the community.
Over a dozen of the post offices on the list will, if close, mean vulnerable residents in Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster will be left stranded.
And watchdog Postwatch has listed Shepherd’s Bush Road Post Office in Hammersmith as one of five in London they are particularly concerned about.
Post office worker and convenience shop owner Kirit Patel, 59, spent £30,000 in 1984 opening his post office counter in Kenyon Street, Fulham, but he now faces ruin if his shop gets the axe after post office bigwigs decide which branches are to close.
“I think I will lose about 60 per cent of my takings,” he said.
“The post office say they are losing money, but how can that be when we work 9am to 5pm six days a week? I spoke to some customers today and they are very sad that I might be closing.”
Mr Patel, who has run the shop with his two brothers Navin, 60, and Dilip, 54, for over 30 years, spent £10,000 just six months ago on a ramp to help old age pensioners get to the door of his shop.
He said he used to go out onto the street to serve post office customers who couldn’t get up the steps. “Now, it’s all going down the drain,” he said.
Pensioner Laureen Milner, 76, of Swanbank Court, Willow Bank in Fulham, said that a lot of people who live in her block use the doomed Fulham Road branch which is nearby. “It would be a serious problem if you had to rely on someone else to go to the post office for you,” she said. “If it is more than a letter you have to post, it would be awful.”
Hammersmith and Fulham’s cabinet member for residents’ services Cllr Paul Bristow said, “Enough is enough. Asking residents whether they would like to lose six out of 14 post offices is like asking someone whether they want to lose a limb. Many residents will feel helpless if these closures go through.”
MP for Kensington and Chelsea, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, said: “The closure of post offices will cause a great deal of inconvenience to many people.”
“Post offices are vital to the success of local businesses and the community as a whole.”
Westminster City Council said it is holding talks with the Post Office on the feasibility of opening future outlets in its own buildings in a bid to stop the service from disappearing from its streets.
Post Office Network Development Manager for London, Anita Turner, said: “Taking the decision to close any branch is always very difficult and we know it will cause concern to many of our customers.”
The consultation period is due to end on April 2. Email consultation@postoffice.co.uk or call 08457 2233 44.
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