Last updated 13:30, Tuesday, 18 March 2008

AMONG the Post Offices earmarked for closure are Denton Holme and Botcherby in Carlisle.

Meanwhile, the likes of Hallbankgate, Bewcastle, Hayton and Castle Carrock, near Brampton, are among 10 branches across the county proposed for replacement by an “outreach outlet”, which could mean a mobile office visiting them at set times or even an office located in a pub.

Staff at customers in Carlisle were shocked and surprised by some of the places where closure or replacement is planned.
Opposition is already mounting in many of the areas affected.

Denton Holme sub-postmaster John Platton, who has run the branch for the past three-and-a-half years, confirmed that his closure will mean six people losing their jobs.

He was surprised that his outlet was affected, adding: “Yes, the business has gone down over the past three years by about 30 per cent, but there are a lot of old people down here who obviously can’t travel very far.

“They use this branch on a regular basis. I would have thought they would have rather looked for new business than closing branches such as this.”

Edna Horky, who has worked at Denton Holme for 19 years, added: “It was a big shock because this is a busy little office and there are a lot of people who come here who may not be capable of getting on a bus and going to town. People are already expressing their worry and shock.”

Customers were also dismayed.

Lawrence Graham, 80, of Denton Holme, said: “It's barmy. Closing this post office makes no sense at all. It is the only post office in Denton Holme and I use it regularly.

“I suppose now I will have to catch a bus if we want to go to the post office in town. They just do not seem to care about the public.”

John Mallinson, 76, added: “I think this is terrible to close a place like this which has been here since the year dot. It will be a big miss.”

Eileen Fisher, 61, believes her next nearest post office is “not near enough.”

“I don’t collect my pension here, but a lot of people do. I suppose they will now have to go to town or Wigton Road,” she said.

Post Office executives say their Network Change Programme is vital to putting their national network on a stable footing and stem losses of £4m-a-week.

A consultation into the proposals begins today and will continue until May 27. A final decision on where is definitely closing is likely to be made several weeks later.

Despite the large number of Cumbrian closures proposed, they say that 98.5 per cent of the county’s residents will remain within a mile of an alternative branch.

The proposed closures would take the total number of post offices to Cumbria to 226, including the outreach outlets.

The Post Office says it has drawn up the proposals after taking advice from independent watchdog Postwatch and local authorities, taking factors such as geography, demographics and the economy into account.

North west network development manager Richard Lynds said: “Taking the decision to close any Post Office branch is always very difficult and we know it will cause concern to many of our customers.

“We want to ensure that everyone who uses, relies on, or has any concern with Post Office services is both fully aware of the proposed changes and able to give views on them.

“Post Office Ltd’s aim is to continue to provide essential services and support retail businesses and the local economy in as many communities as possible, subject to the minimum access set by the Government.”

Mr Lynds said that rural parts of Cumbria - where 62 per cent of the county’s population live - would be served by 190 branches with 36 in urban areas, nine of which would serve communities classed as “deprived”.

He added: “We believe these proposals offer the best prospect for a sustainable way forward for Post Office services in this area, bearing in mind the minimum access criteria and the other factors we have to take into account.”