closure of local post offices

Having read an item on the Haringey website I felt inspired to send this email

Dear Councillor Harris
I have read your comments on Post Office closures which have been posted on the Haringey website. http://www.haringey.gov.uk/index/news_and_events/latest_news/postof...
and I am in complete agreement with what you have said.

Post Offices have long been an important part of life in Britain and very many, especially the old, have copme to depend on them. It is extraordinarily difficult for the elderly, who have often been left alone and live lonely lives, to adjust to new ways of doing things. The removal of a Post Office could for some be much more than an inconvenience, and could actually lead to a loss of confidence and disorientation. This is not a theoretical assertion, I have seen it happen.
The criteria for removal of Post Offices include that a very high percentage of the urban population should be within a mile of a Post Office. I wonder if those who drew up this rule have any idea how far a mile is - on a motorway or in a train it is no distance at all, less than a minute's journey - with the aid of a walking stick on an arthritic hip it could be nearly an hour's ordeal, made necessary simply in order to register an important letter, or to buy a postal order in the absence of a bank account.
And having completed this expedition, let's say from Weston Park into Crouch End, at the end of it will be a wait of 10-15 minutes. I often pass the main Post Office in Crouch End and rarely is there not a queue the entire length of the building and out into the street. I wonder if this main office has the capacity to deal with the displaced transactions.
I might also point out the effect of removing the local post office from a parade of shops, which depend entirely on local trade, on foot, drawn in for a purpose. Without the Post Office would the sweety and newspaper shop survive? Without the newsagent will the nearby convenience store be profitable? I suspect not - those who have made the journey to the nearby main office will do their bits and pieces shopping there, the local parade will decline, and downward spiral of decay will set in. The potential failure of these parades will be a further inconvenience to those who do not have the means to visit to larger centres, and who are most in need of them.

I note that you have offered to explore the possibility of putting council resources at the disposal of the Post Office in order to address the perceived problems. I think this is admirable, and should be explored further. Clearly what is needed is an innovative approach - I believe Haringey prides itself on its innivation. I understand that the motivation for closures arises out of the subsidy paid to the Post Office network, which is both expensive and soon to be illegal under EU competition law. Elimination of the need for subsidy would seem to eliminate the need for closure. I can think of a couple of services that Post Offices could provide - for example why do they not have the PayPoint terminals found elsewhere - presumably this is profit making? And could the the local Post Office not act as a local depot for the many mail order items which arrive when the recipient is out and now have to be redelivered by the courier, or collected by the recipient, often from a distant depot.

I am sure you are aware that Essex County Council has found it viable to take over the running of some Post Offices and is supported in this endeavour by ministers of state and the Local Government Association. Has Haringey investigated this option? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7284758.stm

Regards

Adrian Essex