VILLAGERS across West Devon were out in force this week to back the campaign to save their local post offices. On Friday they were outside Bridestowe post office and on Saturday residents of Chillaton were out on the street making their opinions felt. Last week in Bridestowe more than 320 people crowded into the village hall to 'consult' on the proposed closures by Post Office Ltd, the reduction of services in seven other villages in West Devon and withdrawal or reduction of the mobile service in five more. The proposed closures are because the Government will be reducing its Post Office subsidy to £150 million a year. Geoffrey Cox, MP for West Devon and Torridge, who yesterday met the head of the Post Office's Network Change team at Westminster, has criticised the Post Office Limited's proposals for 'outreach services' to replace existing sub-post office branches in Torridge and West Devon as appearing to have been 'produced on the back of an envelope.' Mr Cox, who joined those protesters at Bridestowe and Chillaton, said that there was evidence that the research into the case for closure, and the viability of so called 'outreach' replacements, had often been 'slipshod.' The MP has tabled a series of parliamentary questions pressing the government to examine the long-term viability of the so-called outreach services, and whether they add up. The MP, who has been closely engaged in challenging the basis for closure of the threatened branches in his constituency, said that in one case, St Giles on the Heath, the Post Office had mistakenly reported that there was a farm shop in the village when a roadside sign had read 'Box Shop Farm.' In another case, in Meeth, the Post Office had suggested a site for a mobile post office in a lay-by 600 yards outside the village that required two blind bends to be negotiated on a main road, without a pavement. Mr Cox met the Post Office's head of the Network Change Team for Devon, Tim Nickolls, to discuss the case for keeping open individual post office branches in Torridge and West Devon and to quiz him about the plans at Westminster. After the meeting, Geoffrey Cox said: 'Mr. Nickolls and his team listened politely and carefully to all that I had to say about individual branches in Torridge and West Devon. 'However, it was difficult to resist making two conclusions: first, that the specific and detailed matters I drew to his attention about the damage to individual communities that would result from the closure of their post office were of secondary importance to the drive to cut costs: secondly, that the outreach alternatives for particular areas were only very sketchily considered and no clear plan has been made as to how they would work.' The MP has agreed to meet Mr. Nickolls and his team again shortly. Trustees and staff at the Community Council of Devon have been appalled at the proposed post office closures. 'Devon seems to have been hit much harder than many other parts of the country,' said CCD chairman Peter Dunning. 'And yet Devon has more remote communities, a higher proportion of older, less mobile residents, and a population that is growing faster than almost anywhere in the country. All these would seem to be good reasons for protecting the network as much as possible.' l The consultation period finishes on June 30. Comments on the changes should be sent to Tim Nickolls, Post Office Ltd, FREEPOST Consultation team or email [email protected]">[email protected]
