Successful Walk to Help Save Lower Weston Post Office

The walkers pause for breath at Lower Weston

Around 50 residents joined Don Foster MP, local Councillors Loraine Brinkhurst and Caroline Roberts as well as local resident and Bristol Rugby Head Coach Richard Hill, as they walked between Selbourne Close and Weston Village to show how ridiculous the proposed closure of the Lower Weston branch really is.

Don with the Petitions against Post Office closures

Commenting, Don said, "I was really impressed with the turn-out (for the walk) and the fact it took one hour just for one leg of the journey goes to show how impossible this will be for many people.

It would be complete madness for this Post Office to close. We have shown what a difficult journey it will be, especially for elderly and disabled residents and we all know that Post Office Ltd have made a major error in omitting the Western Riverside development."

Liberal Democrats across the city collected around 4,500 signatures against Post Office closures. 2,500 were for the Lower Weston branch alone. Don posted the petitions off from the threatened Bear Flat Post Office, where it was a struggle to find an envelope big enough!

If you haven't yet submitted your own objection to the closures, then you still have time. The Consultation closes TODAY, Wednesday 9th April. If you wish to object, please e-mail consultation@postoffice.co.uk. Below is Don Foster's submission to the consultation.

Dear Sir/Madam,

While I understand that you are in the unenviable position of having to find a certain number of Post Offices to close within a specified area, I write to you to suggest that in my Bath constituency you have made some glaring errors.

Lower Weston: Firstly, representatives from Post Office Ltd have admitted that the Bath Western Riverside development was not taken into account when the initial Network Change Programme document was put together. This development will host over 4,000 new residents. There will also be new businesses, and a school. For all of these people, the Lower Weston Post Office will be their nearest branch. This branch is currently busy, taking 1000-1499 customer transactions per week.

The alternative branch, Moorfields, is one of the busiest in Bath, already making up to 3,000 transactions per week. This branch is also expected to take the brunt of business from the proposed closure of Bear Flat Post Office. The walk is along hilly terrain, and involves crossing a main road, and there is no bus route.

Weston village Post Office, the other alternative for Lower Weston customers, is almost a mile away and up hill. Again, there is not a direct bus between the two Post Offices. For those who previously used the Yomede Post Office (shut in 2003), the walk to the bus will be difficult enough in itself.

There are several local businesses that use this Post Office as well. One business owner even commented that he moved his business to the Lower Weston area because there was a local Post Office! They will now be forced to drive to a Post Office every day, which will take time out of their working day and involve two members of staff rather than one when you consider the difficulties of parking at alternatives venues.

I must urge you to seriously reconsider your decision to close the Lower Weston Post Office. It is not suitable for closure and must remain open to cater for new residents and businesses, as well as those currently using it. Additionally elderly and disabled residents will have major trouble in accessing the alternatives. I do not see how this branch can be closed.

Bear Flat: Bear Flat Post Office is very popular in the local community, as evidenced by near 2,000 people signing a petition against its closure within 10 days of the announcement. Numerous local businesses have helped in collecting signatures, as the local Post Office is important to their daily lives. The Bear Flat community is vibrant with plenty of local shops, and many will suffer a loss in passing trade should people who have to use the Post Office be forced to Moorland Road or the city centre instead.

I must ask you to seriously reconsider your decision to close Bear Flat Post Office. Local communities are very important, and the Post Office can act as a hub, as well as supplying passing trade to other shops and cafes. There hill down to Moorfields and the city centre is quite steep and will be difficult for elderly and vulnerable residents.

Claremont: The Post Office at Claremont is very important to the local residents. While the alternative Post Office may be only 0.5 miles away, it is at the bottom of a very steep hill. The people who rely on the Post Office the most, namely the elderly and disabled, are not going to be able to get back home from Larkhall, the hill is far too steep. If it is not financially possible to keep this office open then suitable provisions must be made for those who rely on this service but will not be able to get to the alternative. I do not think that people will be able to negotiate such a steep hill.

Bathford: The local community shop in Bathford is happy to take on some basic postal services in the wake of the closure of the Bathford office. The owners of the shop have sought a number of answers from Post Office Ltd regarding taking on these provisions, but have so far received no reply. I trust that you will look into their offer, which could also entail offering a "virtual Post Office" service.

I hope that you will take all of these points on board when considering the Network Change Programme in the Bristol and Somerset Area, and in my constituency of Bath. The evidence against the closure of Lower Weston office in particular is somewhat overwhelming and I hope that you can hold your hands up and admit that you made a mistake in the initial assessment.

Yours sincerely,

Don Foster MP