Post Office closures
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Wandsworth Council considers "rescue plan" for post offices
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| Tooting residents will meet on Wednesday, March 19 to discuss the threat to their post offices |
Wandsworth Council would consider taking on the running of post offices itself to keep our branches open, it said this week.
Deputy leader Councillor Maurice Heaster requested a meeting with Postal Affairs Minister Pat McFadden to discuss whether it could fund or subsidise post offices in the borough.
Three post offices in Tooting, two in Putney, two in Battersea and one in Balham are set to close as soon as this summer, under a nationwide closure programme by Post Office Ltd.
Thousands of residents have signed petitions against the closures.
Coun Heaster said: "I'm very optimistic of our case to save all our branches. There's some extremely strong cases being put by local residents.
"But I do think we should put down some benchmarks with the government now in case some do close."
Some residents have already called for Wandsworth to follow the lead of Essex Council, which has said it will buy out those post offices earmarked for closure. Others said it should support post offices by allowing people to pay rent on council housing or collect council benefits there.
Coun Heaster wrote to Mr McFadden to say he was keen to explore "all the options for retaining these vital community facilities".
But leader of the opposition Councillor Tony Belton said it was too little, too late.
He said: "We first requested that the council should use the post office more for rent payment and other things three years ago, after the first wave of closures.
"We support the council in trying to save the post offices and also that they are thinking of the kind of incentives Essex County Council are doing. But if our post offices close after the consultation, I suspect it will be too late to come up with ideas by then."
There are two public meetings on post office closures in Wandsworth planned for this week - at Samaj Hall in Tooting High Street on Wednesday and St Stephen's Church in Battersea on Thursday. Both start at 7.30pm.
11:23am Tuesday 18th March 2008
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