Post Office Network Change in Cumbria

Cumbria County Council's formal consultation submission to the Post Office Network Change Programme Proposal for Cumbria is available for download now. The submission includes both general feedback on the Network Change Programme drawn from the County Council's Cabinet, Economy & Culture Scrutiny Committee and the consultation event held on the 7th May as well as specific feedback on the individual proposed closures drawn from public meetings, neighbourhood forums and community groups.

The official list of post offices proposed for closure was released by the Post Office Ltd on the 18th March. The list of those to be retained or closed as well as their 'outreach' proposals are all listed in the 'Area plan booklet' (pdf 265Kb)along with this is a Map (pdf 3.05Mb) and a 'Branch access report' (pdf 2.6Mb).  All of these documents can be accessed from the Post Office website (external link) (scroll down for Cumbria consultation).

The Branch access report lists every branch proposed for closure and what the Post Office term as 1st and 2nd alternative branches, these are the post offices they see as people using instead of the branch proposed for closure. It contains information such as the distance between the branches, whether there is a bus service and its frequency.

A County Council organised meeting held on 7 May in Kendal was attended by 70 people, including county and district councillors, MP offices, representatives of parish councils and Voluntary Action Cumbria. This solidified opposition against the proposed closures at all council levels. A public meeting of the county council's economy and culture scrutiny panel gave a further opportunity to voice concerns over the impact the closures will have on Cumbria's communities. 

It is anticipated that Post Office Ltd will be announcing their decision following consultation on 18th June with the first closures commencing after 17th July. 

Cllr Gary Strong, Cumbria County Council’s cabinet member responsible for community development, said:

"This whole consultation has been too quick, too brutal and too simplistic. We have seen plenty of smoke and mirrors tactics from the Post Office in the way the whole exercise has been carried out. We needed more information to shape a detailed response which, frankly, just hasn't been provided by them.

"We wholeheartedly oppose the closure of any post offices in the county and our response to the consultation will reflect this. But, realistically, some branches will start closing this summer whether we like it or not. The county council will be focusing its efforts on what we can do to support individual businesses such as village shops which may be threatened if the post office disappears. We will also be examining the feasibility of using council premises to deliver some of the key community services which are currently offered by the Post Office."

 The Post Office Ltd have based their decisions on the following factors:

• The proximity of Post Office branches proposed for closure to nearby branches 
• Customer numbers 
• Size and ability of nearby branches to absorb extra customers 
• Commercial implications 
• Physical access constraints 
• Availability of public transport 
• Alternative access to key Post Office services (e.g. ATMs) 
• Local demographics 
• Impact on local economies.      

The Post Office Ltd have made it clear that when a case has been made for a post office targeted for closure to be retained then another post office within Cumbria will be identified to take it's place. These replacement closures will then undergo another period of consultation but, this has not automatically led to closure in other areas.

Post Watch have an oversight role in this process (although no power of veto) Further information on the role of Post Watch can be accessed on their website (external link).