Post office closures sham claim (From The Westmorland Gazette)
When news happens, text KENEWS and your photos and videos to 80360. Or contact us by email or phone.
Post office closures sham claim
9:45am Friday 29th February 2008 in News
Pat and Stephen Barnes
A KENDAL couple who desperately want the Post Office to close their financially stricken sub-post office fear they will be forced to keep the business open against their will.
Stephen and Pat Barnes, who run Kirkland post office in Kendal, claim Post Office Ltd's consultation programme over its plans to close 2,500 branches nationwide is "a sham" after they were told a decision had already been made that their business would remain open.
Mr Barnes believes Post Office managers have known for months which post offices in Cumbria are to remain open and which will close - well ahead of the start of the official consultation process, due to begin on March 18.
He decided to break a confidentiality gag' imposed on sub-postmasters by the Post Office to speak out about his concerns over the network change closure programme and to reveal the dire financial details of his business.
He said if Kirkland post office was axed by the Post Office, he and his wife would be entitled to a redundancy payment, but if the business remained open it could go bust and they would end up with nothing.
A spokesman for the Post Office confirmed the closure programme was a "compulsory process" and sub-postmasters were not being invited to volunteer for closure, even though they might be losing money.
The Post Office spokesman said closures would not be based on sub-postmaster preferences.
For story in full, see the February 29 Westmorland Gazette.
