Residents Concerns About Post Office Closure Consultation Confirmed

10.00.00am GMT Fri 20th Nov 2009

Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable joined Fred Mackintosh in opposing the closure of Warrender Park Road Post Office

Edinburgh South Liberal Democrat challenger Fred Mackintosh has renewed his criticism the Government's Post Office Network Change Programme, after a new report by the House of Commons' Public Accounts Committee issued a damning assessment of the process that led to the closure of the popular Warrender Park Road Post Office in November 2008.

The report, published in November 2009, is particularly critical of the consultation process, and states that "local concerns about the scale of the Programme were in effect ignored" because the number of closures had been pre-determined, and warns that this could bring the consultation process into "disrepute".

Commenting, Edinburgh South Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Fred Mackintosh said: "This report won't be a huge surprise to the people of Marchmont, but it shows how unfair the consultation about the Labour Government's plans really were.

"In the years before the 2008 closure programme Edinburgh South had already lost four post offices. No thought had been given about how postal services could be delivered in tenement areas where small local shops and businesses remain a key part of the community. Local people and traders created a strong case to keep Warrender Park Road Post Office open, but the predetermined rules of the consultation meant that in effect their case was ignored."

The Public Accounts Committee also branded the social and economic assessment of the impact of closures as "inadequate".

The report also highlighted that the closure programme was the only part of the Post Office's four part efficiency savings drive expected to make a loss between 2006-07 and 2010-11, and would make the smallest impact on future profitability. The Committee has said that in view of the modest financial benefits, and the upheaval that closures cause to communities, future closures should be a last resort.

The report however does say that progress has been made in securing more Government business and increasing revenue streams.

Fred Mackintosh continued: "As I see it the consultation process was a process designed to make the closures look less unreasonable and the attempt to separate the blame for the closures from the Labour Government that ordered them.

"It is welcome that the Government are finally listening to Liberal Democrats who argued the Post Office should be given more Government business and that revenue streams should be opened up, but if this had been done three of four years ago, these damaging closures may not have even been considered."

Related Link:

Read the report by the Public Accounts Committee.