Greenock Telegraph | News | Four post offices to close

Thursday, 20th November, 2008

Published: Wednesday, 24th September, 2008 12:30

Four post offices to close

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THE Post Office has turned down appeals to save four Inverclyde branches.

It announced yesterday the doors would close on Greenock’s offices in Brougham Street and Dunlop Street, Gourock’s Tower Drive in Midton and Mansion Avenue, Port Glasgow.

A statement said the offices in Inverclyde, Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, Dunbartonshire and Lanarkshire would begin closing from November.

Inverclyde Labour MP, David Cairns, said: “I am very disappointed. Despite speaking to Post Office bosses about this on three separate occasions they have decided to go ahead and close all four offices.

“Each time I met them I explained the difficulties that pensioners and those on low incomes would have if these offices closed. But it seems the Post Office chose not to listen and intend to press ahead with the closures, regardless of the effect it will have on communities.”

Gourock Liberal Democrat councillor George White said: “It is an absolute disgrace. There are many elderly and other people who will now have to take a bus to get from Midton to the nearest post office down in Kempock Street.

“Many people will not be able to walk because of the hill.”

He added: “Rather than just nipping out to buy a stamp, for example, going to the post office will involve the inconvenience of having to wait for buses.”

Port Glasgow SNP councillor Jim MacLeod said: “This is a sad day.

“The UK Government can’t walk away with any credit from these closures. This is a very short-sighted and narrow-minded measure.”

Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw said: “Ministers have taken no account of the needs of disabled people or the elderly — those who stand to be hit hardest by these closures.

“Labour needs to explain why it rejected Conservative proposals to give greater freedoms to post offices to allow them to compete, to encourage local councils to provide services through post offices and to make the Post Office Card Account a more flexible financial tool with greater functionality.”

Sally Buchanan, Post Office network development manager for Scotland, said: “We have considered very carefully all the comments made during the public consultation.”

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