Published: Friday, 24th October, 2008 12:30
A stamp of dissapproval over closures
By Alexa Brown
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THE plans that hundreds of locals had fought against were made official this week, as it was announced that several of the regions post offices are soon to close their doors for good.
Peebles’ Rosetta Road branch is one of a total of 24 Post Offices set to close around Edinburgh and the South of Scotland, including Clovenfords, Bowden, Oxton, Heriot and Fountainhall.
And Borders politicians have now blasted the previous six week consultation process ‘a sham’.
Local MSP John Lamont said: “This decision is a sickening blow to communities across the Borders who have fought so hard to try and save their local post office. It shows the consultation up for the sham that it is, making a mockery of the whole process.
“I am particularly disappointed that Post Office Ltd have not taken on board the huge outpouring of local feeling which has been expressed against these plans.
Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale MSP Jeremy Purvis added: “The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, John Swinney, promised me in the Scottish Parliament that the Scottish Government would do all in its powers to protect rural postal services.
“Now that we know that Post Office Ltd is not changing its proposed plans to reduce and remove services, I am writing to John Swinney to clarify what support he is prepared to give the Borders if these plans are ratified by Westminster.”
Customers of the Rosetta Road branch will instead get postal services within the shop, which will be trialled over the next year.
Post Office Ltd this week stood by the decision to make the closures, claiming that 99.6% of the Scottish population will still be within one mile of a Post Office branch.
Sally Buchanan, Post Office Ltd’s Network Development Manager for Scotland, said: “These are difficult decisions which have not been taken lightly. We have considered very carefully all the comments made during the public consultation.
“We believe that the amended plan announced today (Tuesday) offers our customers across Edinburgh, The Lothians and the South of Scotland the best prospect for a sustainable network in the future, bearing in mind the UK Government’s minimum access criteria and the other factors it has asked us to consider.”
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