Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Post Office
Was scanning the papers this morning and it looks like the harringay post office is about to be closed and franchised out. Along with 37others
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/37-crown-post-offices-closed-9595128
Tags for Forum Posts: harringay post office, harringay post office closure, post office
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Thanks for flagging this up Andy. There's more on the BBC. A similar fate was announced for Crouch End and Muswell Hill in the first tranche of franchises last year. Wood Green POs office was slated to move into W H Smith. I'm not certain about the status of any of those changes.
It seems like brand in trouble W H Smith see a possible life-raft amidst these changes. Might that mean a new Smith's in Harringay?
What I can't find anywhere is any hard-nosed analysis of what these changes might mean for us all. Any pointers anyone?
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Permalink Reply by Steve on
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I will do my best to keep you informed of developments as they unfold. The strike action by the Communication Workers Union over Xmas was in part about the franchising and closure of Crown Offices, other issues are the pension scheme closure and job losses. There is a community campaign to keep the Crouch End and Muswell Hill offices open and thousands of signatures have been collected. Catherine West MP has been brilliant and very active as have some local councillors as well as pensioners and disabled people. It is possible that this campaign has thus far been successful as no announcement has yet been made in regard to these 2 offices. Nationally around 75,000 individually completed Post Cards were delivered to Margot James MP, Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility just before Xmas. This was well covered by the media. The process is that the Post Office will seek interest in undertaking a franchise - the vast majority have been WH Smith - when a suitable franchisee is found a 6 weeks public consultation takes place but by this stage it is effectively a 'done deal'! This latest tranche including the one on Green Lanes bring the number to around 100 nationally. It is my personal view that this latest list of 37 offices are particularly vulnerable to closure as in many cases there is no obvious location!
I hope this is enough to be getting on with and if we want to keep our Post Office open we will need to start getting organised. If anyone is interested in getting involved in any way please get in touch.
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I was told by a post office worker today that no buyer can be found for either the Crouch End or Muswell Hill post offices.
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That information is unavailable even to the higher echelons of the Communications Workers Union and whilst it may be accurate, and I hope it is, it likely to be conjecture! Rumours have a habit of running like wildfire!
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So you're saying that the franchisee won't operate the post office from the existing premises?
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This is hugely unlikely as 'downsizing' is the aim and securing a franchisee is the trigger. I am not aware of this having previously taken place but I will ask the question.
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Permalink Reply by Stuart on
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The Wood Green PO is now in the branch of W H Smith. I went in there after New Year and it was really quiet. It's tucked away in the far left corner where the kids' books were but most of the WH Smith stock still seems to be on offer so it doesn't feel too reduced. Works well IMHO - grab a magazine on entry, read it in the queue, return it after finally being served at the PO counter.
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I used to frequent the Post Office in the WH Smith's branch in Ilford and found the whole experience perfectly satisfactory. In fact I would say that it was more pleasant than the lino floors, strip lighting and bullet proof counters of the Post Office it replaced. The staff were no less able to service my needs or provide advice.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Problem is we're not guaranteed WH Smith's. The big one in Kings Cross, opposite the station, is vile since it was franchised The counters were reduced by half, most of the floor space is given over to mobile phone unlocking and dodgy looking sandwiches, our friends the vaccuum cleaner and the mop make rare appearances and the queue is out the door - so fingers crossed who takes it over the Harringay PO.
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I think it's unlikely that the PO would continue to operate in the current premises after/if the franchise is purchased. If there's any profit in it for the businesses, I imagine it'll be housed in somewhere like Maqsood's or Dave's (that's an Indian name by the way, pronounced Dah-veh), both of whom already do parcel drops and collections.
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These items may be useful context and evaluation.
The Association of Convenience Stores submitted a response to the recent, now closed government consultation on post offices - link to summary here.
Extract:
In ACS’ submission to the Department for Business, the trade body has raised concerns about the long-term commercial viability of including a Post Office in a convenience store, especially in the context of increases in the National Living Wage and property costs.
Our members are telling us that they already subsidise a number of the Post Offices in their stores, and they expect more of these branches to become loss-making unless the government increases support for the network and raises remuneration for retailers operating Post Offices.
Government consultation document here, but the responses have not yet been published. 'Front page' here.
A detailed article from the convenience stores' angle:
http://www.conveniencestore.co.uk/advice/your-business/post-offices...
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Permalink Reply by Joanna Bornat on
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The Wood Green Post Office has closed, with all sorts of knock on effects for businesses and people who use the market entrance arcade. WH Smith is now carrying out post office services in Wood Green.
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