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Telford & Wrekin Council will highlight ill informed
thinking behind the Post Office's reasons to close post offices in
the borough.
It is also urging local people to contact Telford & Wrekin
Council if they have come across the Post Office failing to honour
its commitments to the consultation process on the four planned
closures in the borough.
The Council is urging the Post Office to rethink and halt its
proposals and says it will through national councils' body the
Local Government Association raise a number of issues on behalf of
residents at a top level meeting on April 22 called by LGA chairman
Sir Simon Milton with the Post Office's chief executive.
One key argument that the Council will make is that the Post
Office's closure plans appear to ignore that Telford has been
designated as a major regional growth point, with its population
set to grow rapidly in the next decade.
Two of the proposed closures in Wellington and Randlay are in
the borough's urban area where there are planned to be 13,000 new
homes built in it by 2016.
Council leader Andrew Eade said: "This decision flies in the
face of all logic and at a meeting on the Randlay closure, Post
Office representatives appeared completely unaware of the growth
that has been planned for Telford and the extra population the
borough will have.
"Closing these post offices in such well-populated areas will leave
people with very little choice, save taking hours out of their day
to queue at the remaining post offices that already struggle to
cope.
"For the two rural areas it will also deprive people here of an
essential community service.
"We will be urging the LGA to make this point for local people
most forcefully and demand that the Post Office listens both to
them and to reason."
He also urged anyone to tell the Council by Friday April 18 of
any issue concerns that they have about the proposed closures and
the consultation process adopted by the Post Office and this will
be passed on to the LGA. Anyone with any issues can pass these on
by contacting
caroline.oakes@telford.gov.uk
or by calling 01952 382136
Four post offices in the borough are proposed for closure. These
are at Church Aston, Randlay, Sambrook, and Wellington (King
St). |