Views
The fight for post offices - for The Inverness Courier
THE start of last week was dominated by the long-awaited announcement by the Post Office of proposed branch closures in the Highlands. This follows the decision by the Government to seek 2500 closures right across the country. For too many communities the good wishes of New Year have been replaced by anger about the proposals.
Sensing the mood of the occasion, the weather descended into its most wintry. A meeting which my Highland colleagues Charles Kennedy and John Farquhar Munro had arranged with representatives of the Post Office had to be cancelled as a result — illustrating the absurdity of holding a major public consultation process affecting widely scattered communities at this time of year.
It is all the more frustrating when the Post Office recently postponed the same process across much of England in order to spare the Labour Party embarrassment ahead of local elections there.
To the ministers directing the closure programme, political considerations seem to matter more than people.
The announcement itself brought relief for some communities, but inevitably the confirmation of fears for many others. Busy branches in Inverness and Nairn are hit while a number of smaller communities also got the worst possible news about services which are not only vital to many older and disabled customers, but major hubs of community life — Abriachan, Kirkhill, Inverarnie, Croy and Cawdor. While the latter four all stand to benefit from a limited 'outreach' service for a few hours a week, the loss of a proper, locally-run branch will be acutely felt.
Post Office managers point out — with a great deal of legitimacy — that ministers have them over a barrel. They have been told they must reduce the need for subsidy to the network, but at the same time the government has taken away commercial contracts to deepen the deficit. The political battle to save the network in the long term, and to forestall yet more closures, lies ahead.
An absolutely vital hurdle will be faced in 2008 as the contract is awarded for the successor to the Post Office card account. If ministers contrive — as they have with previous smaller contracts — to let competitors undercut the Post Office by offering poor provision to rural communities and inferior customer service, the future will be bleak. I will do everything I can to make sure that does not happen.
In the meantime, wherever the blame ultimately lies, the proposals which have been put forward contain serious flaws. I will be working with communities in the remaining five weeks of the consultation period to make sure these are addressed.
I am also pressing hard for Balloch not to be forgotten. Residents there lost their post office on a 'temporary' basis 18 months ago when Somerfield disgracefully walked away from their store in the village, leaving staff, customers and the post office in the lurch. The process of selling the store unit — which must surely have great commercial potential — has been tortuous, but Somerfield have assured me that progress is being made.
As soon as a new owner is revealed, I hope they will agree to reinstate a Post Office counter. Until that option can be explored, the deletion of Balloch from the network without comment or consultation is at best premature, and at worst an attempt on the Post Office's part to bury extra closures in the present process. Nor is Balloch alone, there are also 'temporary' closures in Glenurquhart and at Cromdale where the Post Office has very quietly dropped a commitment to restore a service. These communities must be given a say, too, if the commitment to consult with the public means anything.
NEW YEAR, NEW LEADER
This year promises to be an interesting one with the new leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, judged by many pundits to have won the day in his first go at Prime Ministers Questions.
Nick Clegg is off to a good start to 2008.
I hope that all Courier readers will enjoy a peaceful and prosperous New Year
Posted on: 15/01/2008
