Post Office ignores residents' views

The Post Office has decided not to reprieve any of the seven Post Offices in the Mole Valley constituency that they have listed for closure, ignoring widespread local opinion, including the views of thousands of local residents who signed Liberal Democrat petitions. As a result, the following offices are now due for closure:

• Abinger Hammer

• Kingston Road, Leatherhead

• South Street, Dorking

• Mickleham

• Holmbury St Mary

• Bungalow Stores, Bookham

• Effingham Junction

Moreover, to compensate for offices saved elsewhere in Surrey, Berkshire & West Sussex, the Post Office has decided to close the Post Office at Tadworth - just outside our area.

In a letter to the Dorking & Leatherhead Advertisers, Alice Humphreys - the LibDem prospective parliamentary candidate for Mole Valley - writes: "The decision to close all 7 of the threatened post offices in Mole Valley Constituency is a disgrace. Thousands of local people joined our campaign against the possible closures, yet despite all the petitions and individual letters all earmarked post offices are closing. There are all the hallmarks of a consultation that, as far as the Post Office was concerned, was a foregone conclusion.

"The policy pursued for a long time both by the Labour government and their Conservative predecessors has been a gradual chopping away at this important local service. Up to now Labour have closed 4000 post offices. The Conservatives closed 3500 in their time. Sadly there will be further closure programmes in future.

"Can anything be done? Absolutely.

"The Liberal Democrats are the only party to have fully costed practical plans to modernise Royal Mail and safeguard the Post Office network for the long-term. These plans include -

• "Demerging Post Office Ltd from Royal Mail, giving the Post Office freedom to develop services for all mail delivery companies;

• "Selling off a 49% stake in Royal Mail to the private sector and making a further 50% available to provide an employee trust for the workforce on the John Lewis model; this will give Royal Mail the freedom of a private sector business to borrow and invest, allowing it to compete with lean and effective private sector businesses in the main UK mail and parcels market;

• "Using the proceeds of the asset sale (49% of Royal Mail, which we estimate could release £2bn) to fund the product/service investment desperately needed to make post offices profitable;

• "Ensuring that the Post Office network is the cornerstone of the programme to provide every UK citizen with access to a basic bank account; Post Offices can play a key part in financial inclusion; they want and need the additional trade that offering basic bank accounts would provide."

Lib Dems lead protests

Protesters at Kingston Road

On February 2nd, local residents joined Alice and other Lib Dem campaigners in a series of protests outside some of the affected Post Offices.

At Kingston Road, Leatherhead, local Liberal Democrat campaigner Bob Hedgeland voiced the fears of many residents: "Closure of this Post Office would hit local people, especially older residents, very hard. Whereas they can walk down to the Post Office here, many would have to drive or take a bus to get to Leatherhead town centre."

In South Street, Dorking, many passers-by stopped to sign the petition opposing the closure of the local office. Tim Loretto - a local LibDem campaigner - said: "The Post Office here is a vital link for many of the local traders as well as for residents from the Southern part of Dorking. Of course it's possible for some people to go to the main Post Office, but at busy times you can have a long wait." Caroline Salmon, Liberal Democrat councillor for the The Holmwoods, runs a shop in South Street. She says: "Like lots of other traders, I need to use the Post Office most days. I can't simply shut up shop while I go to the main Post Office and wait in a long queue."

Protests at Abinger Hammer

Finally the campaigners moved to Abinger Hammer, where families flocked in from neighbouring villages to join the protest. Hazel Watson - Liberal Democrat county councillor for Dorking Hills - expressed the views of many: "Removing the Post Office threatens the viability of shops in villages like Abinger Hammer. It's too dangerous to walk alongside the A25 into Gomshall and the bus service is infrequent. This Post Office and the one in Holmbury St Mary provide important services for this part of Mole Valley; losing both Post Offices will hit the local communities severely."

Read about the LibDem petitions.