Yvette Cooper MP

Yvette Cooper MP

Working for Pontefract & Castleford

Closure of Hardwick Road Post Office

 Dear Resident

 Post Office Ltd have proposed closing Hardwick Road Post Office in Pontefract, and the consultation closes on 23 June 2008.

 I believe this closure should not go ahead as it would not be fair on Pontefract people, and goes against the Post Office's own guidelines on access and local services.  I am urging the Post Office to rethink their plans.

 All political parties have recognised that the Post Office Network is losing considerable sums of money due to more people using the internet and bank accounts and that it cannot continue at its current size.  As the Post Office provides a vital public service the Government has said it will provide £1.7 billion over the next few years to support as many post offices as possible into the future.  The Post Office have said that even with the extra money, some post offices will need to close so that others can remain viable, however it is important that changes take account of local circumstances and are fair to all areas.

 The Post Office are required to take account of issues such as the location of alternative post offices and the terrain.  They have also been told by government to ensure that 95% of the urban population are within a mile of a Post Office.

If this closure went ahead, then my analysis shows that around 20% of Pontefract residents would be over a mile from their nearest post office.  That's not fair on Pontefract and seems to break the Post Office's own rules.  As we know, the nearest alternative is Ropergate which is over a mile away, and involves a hilly walk or a congested drive to get there.  That is why I believe that the Post Office need to reconsider.

 We need as many people as possible to contact the Post Office and Post Watch to set out the strong arguments in support of Hardwick Road.  There are more details on the next page on how, and who to contact.

            Best Wishes

Yvette Cooper MP

Yvette Cooper MP, 1 York Street, Castleford, WF10 1JS

01977 553388, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it