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photo - neil thornely<br />
the demise of our post offices.<br />
Our postal system was first established in the 17th<br />
century. No stamps back then. When we talk about<br />
the Post Office in the UK today, it’s not just about<br />
being able to send letters all around the UK and the<br />
world. The post office is a vital community resource<br />
for many people, yet the Government wants to close<br />
thousands of them.<br />
<strong>Now</strong>, before you get bored and turn the page, let me<br />
explain briefly why this matters. It involves valuing supportive<br />
communities, and might also have a positive effect on the<br />
current financial doom.<br />
First, some history. In 2006 Trade and Industry Secretary<br />
Alistair Darling announced that 2,500 post offices would<br />
close by 2009. There is a pretty compelling reason behind<br />
this: the network was losing £4m a week. There are 16<br />
post offices facing closure in Sheffield. <strong>Now</strong>, assuming that<br />
protestors are right in saying that they provide such a vital<br />
service, shouldn’t the Government try something else before<br />
just closing a whole load of them?<br />
Elements of Sheffield City Council have actively involved<br />
themselves in the campaign to oppose this, including<br />
travelling to Downing Street and presenting a petition. A final<br />
decision about the Sheffield network is expected at the end<br />
of October.<br />
So what’s all the fuss about?<br />
Back to basics first: where else are you going to send a<br />
letter or parcel that needs more than a first or second class<br />
stamp? This is vital to a lot of small businesses as well as<br />
everyone else. And yet post offices are already overstretched.<br />
Have you ever tried queuing on a lunch break to use one?<br />
Don’t expect to have time to eat.<br />
If the Government is actually worried about poverty and<br />
social exclusion in the UK then keeping local post offices<br />
open is a move in the right direction. A lot of people over 65<br />
rely on the Post Office to receive their pension as well as for<br />
paying bills and receiving benefits. For those people that find<br />
it difficult getting around, closing down a local post office<br />
is going to cause them big issues. It will make people even<br />
more isolated and will strip our towns once more of any<br />
community feel.<br />
It’s been suggested that the Post Office network can<br />
actually help folks in the recession. At a time when accessing<br />
credit is going to become more difficult, the Post Office is an<br />
institution that can be used to widen access to finance. For<br />
a start, it’s one of the biggest networks in Britain, with more<br />
branches than there are bank branches (source: Guardian,<br />
Editorial, 2nd October 2008). It could offer a stable service,<br />
rather than some attractive but ephemeral interest rate, and<br />
be a means of helping those outside the banking system find<br />
a way in. Of course, being ‘in the system’ isn’t necessarily the<br />
answer to everything, but when it comes to paying for things<br />
like heating and electricity, those who don’t have access<br />
to tools like direct debit lose a lot of money. Check out New<br />
Economics Foundation’s website to go further.<br />
It’s fair to say the Post Office isn’t perfect. A lot could be<br />
done to improve the services it offers, such as longer opening<br />
times and more staff behind the counter. However, the point<br />
remains that the Post Office provides an essential service to<br />
a lot of people, not a luxury. Removing these points of access<br />
will cause problems for the most vulnerable people in our<br />
society and at a time of economic uncertainty. Many towns<br />
are fighting the closures, including Essex where a post office<br />
has been re-opened thanks to intervention from the Council.<br />
As long as this doesn’t divert funds away from other causes,<br />
this seems like a move in the right direction.<br />
What’s your opinion?<br />
If you think all of this matters, check out the<br />
Sheffield City Council website, Sheffield forum<br />
or watch the local press.<br />
The Post Offices threatened<br />
with closure are:<br />
Crookes Valley Road, Shalesmoor,<br />
The Moor, Western Road, Grimesthorpe,<br />
Hatfield House Lane, High Wincobank,<br />
Southey, Wadsley Bridge, Deepcar, Loxley,<br />
Oakbrook Road, Parkhead, Silverhill,<br />
Derbyshire Lane and Park Grange.<br />
Sheffield Communities Against<br />
Post Offices Closures (SCAPO)<br />
sheffield.gov.uk/whats-new/saveourpostoffices<br />
KAT COUSINS.<br />
POST OFFICES.<br />
IT’S LIKE WE ARE GOING BACKWARDS.<br />
PAGe seven.
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