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Post office can stay if it wants
• IT is terribly two-faced for Labour councillors to pretend to be against post office closures while the Labour government schemes to close thousands of post offices across the country, including the one in St Peter’s Street in Councillor Gary Doolan’s ward (Hypocrisy over closures of post offices, June 1). Where was he when they closed that?
The council selling the lease for one shop occupied by the post office has absolutely no bearing on the government’s plan to axe 2,500 post office branches. The council is only selling the lease, not closing it down.
If the Post Office chooses to remain at Essex Road – and we urged them to do so – the conditions of the existing lease would still apply.
The council has not only given the Post Office the opportunity to bid for this property but also to match the price offered by the preferred bidder, but it would apparently prefer not to.
This leaves me wondering whether the Labour government’s mass cull of post offices influenced this decision.
We have voiced concerns about the inadequate consultation carried out on closures to date.
As home to some of the most deprived wards in the country, we are only too aware of how post office closures disproportionately disadvantage the most vulnerable residents, so the council strongly supports post offices as a vital service.
Islington South MP Emily Thornberry voted in favour of the government’s closure plans, and it was a direct result of this that we have already lost post offices in Old Street, Amwell Street, Copenhagen Street, Westbourne Road, St Peter’s Street and Southgate Road.
CLLR TERRY STACY
Lib Dem deputy leader, Islington Council
• MY son is disabled and in a wheelchair, he lives in Essex Road area and uses the post office to pay everything. The government wants our disabled and vulnerable people to have their independence. How can they when essential services, such as this, are closing. They have to ask neighbours or family to pay their bills and collect their benefits.
Upper Street post office has no disabled access. So can someone tell me what service my son and other disabled people will use to pay their essential services bills, such as electricity, gas and rent, and to collect his benefits.
I campaigned with Bridget Fox in the cold and pouring rain and she collected hundreds of signatures to try to save St Peter’s Street post office and nine others from closure. The rest is history.
BARBARA COVENTRY
Popham Street estate, N1 |
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