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Town Hall can’t stand by while post offices close
• COUNCILLOR Lucy Watt is wrong (The Zimmers take on No10, March 14). Council leaders across the political spectrum such as Ken Livingstone (Labour, London), Keith Moffitt (Lib Dem, Camden) and Lord Hanningfield (Tory, Essex) do see it as their job to try and save the post offices in their area. At the same time as Cllr Watt was saying it was not her job, Lord Hanningfield said: “If the public want post offices then it’s up to us. It’s our job to provide them.”
Most people know the story about the little Dutch boy and the dike but do you know the one about the Islington Lib Dem and the sea-wall? One day an Islington Lib Dem on his holidays was walking by a sea-wall when he noticed a small hole with water coming through. Being a good Islington Lib Dem he knew exactly what to do so he rushed off and came back with a placard which read “Islington Liberal Democrats demand somebody repairs this sea-wall!” And he stood by the hole with his placard for the photo-opportunity while the water came in until the sea closed above his head and he was never seen again.
The motto of this story is “if you want something done, do it yourself!”, which is why Mr Livingstone, Essex County Council, our Lib Dem neighbours in Camden and nearly 50 other councils across the country are taking action to save post offices, but Islington insists it’s someone else’s job. Lucy, if you can’t do the job, stand aside and let those who can.
Last week, the west area committee proposed a three-point plan to save our post offices – join the Mayor of London’s judicial review; have a meeting with the Post Office to find an Essex-style solution; and use Islington’s existing Unitary Development Plan (UDP) policies to buy the buildings and offer them at a reduced rent.
To date, we have heard nothing from the executive but silence.
CLLR BARRY EDWARDS
Labour, Holloway ward
• I WOULD like to thank the Tribune for its support for our campaign to save Essex Road post office.
But I would like to correct one assertion made last week: that I had ruled out the option of the council working with the Post Office to save the branch in Essex Road. This is not the case.
At the public meeting held by the council I did say our main objective is to put pressure on the government to stop the closure of this and other post offices in the borough. But I did agree to meet the Post Office, and I am pleased to report that council leader James Kempton, and I had a constructive meeting with Post Office representatives in the Town Hall earlier this week. We put the case against the closure and urged the Post Office to look at other options, particularly working with businesses and the council to keep the service available in the area through a franchise partner.
We are going to meet the Post Office again next week to continue these discussions. It is up to the Post Office, not the council, whether it takes forward any of these options, but we will be working constructively with it to try to ensure the Labour government's policy of closing post offices and treating them as a business and not a service will not result in people living around Essex Road losing a vital service.
CLLR LUCY WATT
Lib Dem, Canonbury ward
• I WOULD like to thank Emily Thornberry, our MP in Islington South, for exposing her position in relation to the post office closure programme by voting with the government in the House of Commons on Wednesday to continue with the closures.
This was her golden opportunity to show the people of Islington that she cared; that she would put the welfare of her constituents above all else. Thank you, Ms Thornberry, for showing your true colours.
KEITH ANGUS
Batchelor Street, N1
• THE high street is vital to the life of most communities in London. One of the shops we all take for granted is the post office. Two months ago, the Royal Mail announced it would close 171 post offices across London. In Islington, it wants to close the Caledonian Road post office. On behalf of people in Islington and all Londoners I’m going to fight it, which is why I am taking the Post Office to court. Since I came to office in 2000, nearly half of London’s post offices have been closed while at the same time the number of people per post office has increased nearly 80 per cent. It simply defies logic to close post offices when London is expanding. So, instead of closing post offices, they should be opening more offices to serve the community.
If the Post Office is allowed to get away with these savage cuts the biggest losers will be the most disadvantaged Londoners, including the elderly, the disabled and those who use the service to pick up benefits and child support. I simply won’t let the most disadvantaged in London lose this vital service without a fight. That is why I have begun legal proceedings against the Post Office. I hope the courts will force it to conduct a more thorough consultation with Londoners and reconsider its closure programme.
KEN LIVINGSTONE
Mayor of London
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