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February 2008
In the recent past your MP plus community groups have been successful in saving Fetcham village post office from closure. A new battle is now on as seven Mole Valley Constituency Post Offices are up for closure. The Post Offices under threat are Abinger Hammer, Effingham Junction, Holmbury St Mary, Kingston Road Leatherhead, Leatherhead Road Bookham, Mickleham, and South Street Dorking.
The Post Office has been told by the Government to close another 2500 Post Offices nationwide. This is on top of the 4000 they have closed since 1997.
Post Offices are often the life-blood of the community and these proposed closures do not take into account the needs of the residents in our constituency who rely so heavily on the service the Post Office provides. It is the most vulnerable such as the elderly, the disabled and the most disadvantaged who will be hit the hardest by these cuts and risk losing their independence altogether.
In Mole Valley we are fortunate that, unlike much of the country, local business is able to thrive, giving each of our towns and villages their own unique character. For many of the seven selected, the Post Office income is a necessary support to the village shop. Should the proposed closures take place, these small businesses will be denied an indispensable service and suffer a substantial drop in trade leading many to go out of business with the prospect of a knock-on effect to other nearby shops and businesses. As one would expect, the Post Office managers are very worried and distressed at the prospect of possibly being forced out of business.
Sir Paul Beresford started the campaign by sending out thousands of letters to residents and working closely with the local press. As a consequence there has been a huge response to the consultation. Pressure on Ministers and through PostWatch will continue while Sir Paul and residents await final decisions with deep concern.
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