Cotswold Chatterblog

Whilst welcoming the news that Colesbourne is to receive extended outreach hours and the ongoing consulatation on the hours of outreach at Rendcomb, Cotswolds MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown believes this is a tacit admission by Post Office Ltd that the consultation was flawed.

During the consultation the MP regularly raised the point that with the closure of the branches at Stratton and The Beeches and the limited outreach previously offered at Rendcomb and Colesbourne, there would be 19,000 people, from 21 villages covering 100 square miles, forced to use the Castle Street Branch in Cirencester.
Mr Clifton-Brown is pleased that his voice and that of hundreds of residents has been listened to, in particular through the provision of a weekend service at Colesbourne and the proposals to offer a similar service at Rendcomb. 
However the MP beleives this has been offered in part in the hope that residents from villages surrounding Cirencester will use these two branches instead of going into Cirencester and is an admission from Post Office Ltd that the Castle Street branch could not cope with the influx of trade caused by the closures.

Commenting Mr clifton-Brown said ” I am delighted that the residents of Colesbourne and Rendcomb will receive more outreach, however Post Office Ltd has only offered a halfway house solution”
“The correct decision would have been to save Stratton or The Beeches as well as offering more outreach at Rencomb and Colesbourne amongst others”
“Sadly the Post Office’s hands were tied by a Government edict to shut 2500 branches and they can only provide a halfway house solution. These proposals are an attempt to paper over the cracks of a consultation that has been exposed as nothing more than a sham”

Source: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP (Cotswold)

www.geoffreycliftonbrown.com

Related articles:
Post Office Consultation Campaign Heats Up
Cotswolds MP Organises Public Discussion on Post Office Closures
Post Office Ltd Delivers Crippling Closure Programme
Cotswolds MP overwhelmed by response to Post Office Meetings
Further consultation announced for Rendcomb Post Office
 

Tags: cirencester | cotswolds | post office

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