8:00am Tuesday 9th March 2010
By David Connop Price
BASINGSTOKE MP Maria Miller has called for two north Hampshire Post Offices to reopen after describing a closure consultation as “a sham”.
The MP spoke out after a consumer watchdog claimed the consultation process for the closure of 2,500 Post Office branches nationwide was flawed.
Consumer Focus’ report found 2.7million tried to air their views through writing to their MP, taking part in newspaper campaigns or other means, but the Post Office reported receiving only 190,000 formal responses.
That meant that, when combined with 15,000 responses sent to the watchdog’s predecessor Postwatch, only one in 13 people effectively contributed to the formal decision making process to close post offices.
Mrs Miller described the report’s findings as “shocking” and called for the Post Office to review its decision to close “two of Basingstoke’s top performing branches” – Old Basing and Kings Furlong – saying little regard had been paid to residents’ views and concerns.
She said: “This report confirms that the consultation was a sham. The lack of weight given to the consultation process meant that residents’ very real concerns were effectively dismissed without consideration.
“Basingstoke lost a further two well-used and much-needed Post Offices as a result of the last round of cuts, leaving those left still struggling to cope.”
Sue Dakin, a Post Office external relations manager, said there had been a massive publicity campaign for the consultation.
She added: “While any decision on a Post Office closure is difficult, the fact remains that when the Network Change programme ended last summer, more than 99 per cent of the public had seen no change to their local Post Office branch or were within one mile by road of an alternative branch.”
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