All 8 Copeland post office closures to go ahead
I am angry and disappointed, but sadly not surprised, to learn today that all eight proposed closures of Post Offices in Copeland are to go ahead.
Post Offices Ltd have announced that 34 out of 35 closures proposed in Cumbria will proceed, starting possibly as early as next month: the exception is the post office in the ward of the Labour leader on Carlisle council. For the avoidance of doubt, let me make clear that I am not criticising the decision to save Botcherby post office but livid that none of the others which also had very strong cases to stay open have been reconsidered.
These closures are the result of an instruction to Post Offices Ltd from Cumbria Labour MP and Cabinet minister John Hutton to close up to 2,000 post offices. Copeland's Labour MP Jamie Reed voted for the Post Office Closure programme.
The post offices to close are:
Beckermet
Bigrigg
Gosforth
Holborn Hill, Millom
Lowca
Moor Row
Parton
Tangier Street, Whitehaven
Councillors from both the Conservative and Labour parties, members of a wide range of community organisations, and other local residents, worked together to assemble a very strong case, which was submitted to the Post Office by Copeland Council, that the closure proposals for West Cumbria were badly thought through, undesirable, and harmful. Sadly this case has fallen on deaf ears.
I am particularly concerned that Post Offices Ltd and the government have ignored our arguments that
1) The proportion of post offices to be closed in West Cumbria in general, and Copeland in particular, is well above the national target: Post Offices ltd are aiming to close about 18% of Post Offices nationally and in Cumbria but are shutting 25% of offices in Copeland, precisedly the sort of dispersed and remote area where they are most needed. By allowing this the government is breaking the spirit of their promises on "West Cumbria Proofing"
2) An extraordinarily high proportion of those post offices in Copeland which have good disabled access have been targetted for closure. In several cases Post Office chiefs are closing branches where both they and the owners recently spent significant sums of money to make the sites compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
3) The cumulative effect of several closures in the same area will be severe for some parts of Copeland. For example, the area north of Whitehaven from Bransty Hill onwards has already lost Bransty post office and is now also losing Lowca, Parton, and the nearest remaing post office in Whitehaven, Tangier Street.
Today is a sad day for Copeland and West Cumbria, and many vulnerable people in our communities will regret it.
Post Offices Ltd have announced that 34 out of 35 closures proposed in Cumbria will proceed, starting possibly as early as next month: the exception is the post office in the ward of the Labour leader on Carlisle council. For the avoidance of doubt, let me make clear that I am not criticising the decision to save Botcherby post office but livid that none of the others which also had very strong cases to stay open have been reconsidered.
These closures are the result of an instruction to Post Offices Ltd from Cumbria Labour MP and Cabinet minister John Hutton to close up to 2,000 post offices. Copeland's Labour MP Jamie Reed voted for the Post Office Closure programme.
The post offices to close are:
Beckermet
Bigrigg
Gosforth
Holborn Hill, Millom
Lowca
Moor Row
Parton
Tangier Street, Whitehaven
Councillors from both the Conservative and Labour parties, members of a wide range of community organisations, and other local residents, worked together to assemble a very strong case, which was submitted to the Post Office by Copeland Council, that the closure proposals for West Cumbria were badly thought through, undesirable, and harmful. Sadly this case has fallen on deaf ears.
I am particularly concerned that Post Offices Ltd and the government have ignored our arguments that
1) The proportion of post offices to be closed in West Cumbria in general, and Copeland in particular, is well above the national target: Post Offices ltd are aiming to close about 18% of Post Offices nationally and in Cumbria but are shutting 25% of offices in Copeland, precisedly the sort of dispersed and remote area where they are most needed. By allowing this the government is breaking the spirit of their promises on "West Cumbria Proofing"
2) An extraordinarily high proportion of those post offices in Copeland which have good disabled access have been targetted for closure. In several cases Post Office chiefs are closing branches where both they and the owners recently spent significant sums of money to make the sites compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
3) The cumulative effect of several closures in the same area will be severe for some parts of Copeland. For example, the area north of Whitehaven from Bransty Hill onwards has already lost Bransty post office and is now also losing Lowca, Parton, and the nearest remaing post office in Whitehaven, Tangier Street.
Today is a sad day for Copeland and West Cumbria, and many vulnerable people in our communities will regret it.
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