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District Diary July 2007

Recently, together with some friends, I enjoyed a short fishing break on the Isle of Wight. We were staying in self catering accommodation and so on arrival, we unpacked the essentials, four slabs of lager and the good guide book to pubs selling real ale. Unfortunately, we�d forgotten to bring the ingredients for tomorrow�s breakfast. I asked the owner about local shops and she told me that there wasn�t one in the village. The nearest shop was in the next village, about three miles away, so I got into the car and drove cautiously around the narrow country lanes. I found the shop; luckily it was still open, so I bought what we needed and headed back. The trip had been a minor inconvenience but what the heck, I was on holiday, I had the car, I had the money and I had the time, did it really matter?
The following morning at 05-30am we were around the lake, fishing. Through my walkman, I listened to the news on radio 4. The overnight events filtered through into my fuzzy head � Basra � Afghanistan � the money markets � I didn�t take much notice; you don�t need to at this time of day because the information is repeated at half hourly intervals. But my mind went onto full alert when the presenter mentioned a Government announcement expected later that morning relating to the closure of up to 2,500 Post Offices. It wasn�t a surprise to me; this decision had been announced in December 2006 but a lengthy consultation process had been declared with an announcement to follow � and here it was.
I lost interest in the fishing. I kept thinking about my own situation; how I�d spent time, effort and money building a business and now � well, who knows? Then I thought about the previous day and how I�d had to travel to buy a loaf of bread. I had a car, I had money, and I had the time; but what if I hadn�t? Suppose I�d have had to access benefits before I could buy essentials, not just bread, but maybe gas, electricity. A lot of Post Office customers are in this situation. I know you can top your cards up at other shops, but many only accept cash, and if you haven�t got a bank account how do you access cash? There are a lot of Post Office customers in this situation too!!
To date I am unaware how the powers that be intend to make the decision which Post Offices are to remain open. The Government statement as issued, contained details about access, and in the rural areas, 95% of people must be within 3 miles of a Post Office. There are plans to use outreach facilities such as mobile Post Offices in areas affected by closures.
The announcement was big news for the rest of that day and I kept tuned in, listening as various Members of Parliament were asked for their views. Representatives of the Sub Postmasters� Federation were interviewed and they gave their opinions as to how it would affect the Sub Postmasters concerned. Most Sub Postmasters are self employed. They look on their business as a nest egg � their pension, and though there will be compensation paid where closures are made, will the persons who need to, be able to find employment, and what about Post Office staff?
Fishing throughout the remainder of that week was fantastic. The accommodation was superb ( I�ll willingly pass on the details to anybody interested) and there was a pub at the bottom of the lane that had a good restaurant and three real ales including one superb local brew.
When I returned to my Post Office, customers were asking �will you be closing, what will we do�? The short answer is, we don�t know, because we haven�t been told yet; but we will know � and soon. 2,500 is a lot of closures, but, there are over 14,000 Post Offices in the UK and some of them are very, very small, and used by only a handful of customers. Here at Llanharan Post Office, we�ve added lots of services � travel money � travel insurance � passport check and send, and we�re an office where you can tax your car. Our village has grown and grown; this has meant lots of extra business � and there�s E-Bay; we�ve sacks and sacks of out-going mail every night � just ask the Postman. But we still tell our customers � USE US OR LOSE US. It�s never been more important.

PHIL THE POST
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