The fate of local Post Offices is finally sealed

April 2008

This month we were devastated to hear the news that all seven of the threatened post office branches in Mole Valley will be closed. Only 3 branches out of the 44 proposed for closure in the Surrey, Berkshire and West Sussex area will in fact be saved, leaving a network of 276 branches. The Local Public Consultation process finished on the 10th March this year and seems to have had little effect on the decisions made, despite Post Office Ltd receiving approximately 6100 pieces of correspondence and attending 25 meetings with customers and their representatives.

Post Office Ltd reassures us that customers will receive no less than four weeks notice before closure, but admit they expect all changes to be implemented by summer 2008.

The Post Offices at Abinger Hammer, Effingham Junction, Leatherhead Road, Holmbury St Mary, Kingston Road, South Street, and Mickleham will all be closed, despite a large number of correspondences in support of their remaining open. This included petitions from Mole Valley Conservatives, letters from Sir Paul Beresford, communications from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Mole Valley District Council, Guildford Council, Mickleham Parish Council, Westhumble Residents Association, Leatherhead and Dorking Citizens Advice Bureau amongst many others.

The Abinger Hammer branch was described as ‘the hub of the community’ during consultations. Worries were cited about the future of the attached village shop and other local retailers, and the lack of alternative banking facilities in the local area.

The Post Office Ltd themselves admit that in the case of the Effingham Junction branch there is no pavement or street lighting for part of the route to the nearest alternative at Station Road. Further to this there is a stepped entrance to the Station Road branch and only one disabled parking bay, therefore making it not the ideal alternative for those with push chairs, wheelchairs, and the elderly. They also admit the bus service operating between the two branches is a limited one.

Leatherhead Road’s alternative is connected by a limited bus service also, and this is despite claims that access to Post Office services for the residents of sheltered housing in Turville Court was considered during consultation.

The nearest alternative to the Holmbury St Mary branch is Gomshall, which is over two miles away. Customers changing from the Kingston Road branch to nearby Leatherhead Common Post Office will have to use a railway crossing that will make the journey significantly more dangerous as well as laborious.

Continually the number of cars owned by nearby residents has been considered when looking at access to alternative branches, however in today’s world where everyone is expected to consider their carbon footprint, and help reduce global warming, the encouragement of the Post Office to residents to use their vehicles seems highly inappropriate.

We would like to thank everyone who campaigned to save these branches, and it is just unfortunate that despite our best efforts and the wishes of the majority within local communities affected the closures will still take place.