Massive Response to Post Office Closure Protest

2.49.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 21st Jun 2004

MP Vincent Cable made a submission to the Post Office this week of representations made to him protesting over the five proposed closures. 2,300 people responded to his questionnaire; there were 336 signatures to a petition regarding Nelson Road post office; and 150 others wrote in. He has appealed to the Post Office to reconsider their decision to close the post offices and has focussed in particular on the problems which could face Hampton, where two of the three post offices are scheduled to close.

Vincent Cable said that the response rate to his survey was 36%, "only a little less than the recent European elections" and in Hampton Wick it was a "remarkable" 47%, with 43% in the Priory Road area. Of those who replied, 70% said that they used their local post office "frequently" and 23% occasionally. 75% would regard the closure as a "big inconvenience", 77% at the two Hampton post offices and 18% a "minor inconvenience".

Vincent Cable said that: "we have an uphill struggle to change the Post Office's mind. They are determined to make a lot of closures and as a commercial organisation, they have the freedom to do so. But we cannot just allow ourselves to be rolled over and I have put forward a strong case for each of the five post offices based on the strong loyalty of their customer base and the potential for expansion."

Vincent Cable said that he had discussed with the Post office and Sainsbury the possibility of Sainsbury taking on the Post Office role in the Tangley Park - Nurserylands - shopping centre: "the idea is I know, being considered. If it could be realised in some form, then it would save one of the Hampton post offices and would be a major step forward. I expect to hear before the end of the month what the Post Office decision is on Tangley Park and the other offices".