Richmond & Twickenham
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Signed and sealed - post offices to shut
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| To shut: The Cambridge Parade branch |
The fate of three borough post offices has been signed, sealed and delivered, with all of them stamped for closure.
Two Twickenham branches - Cambridge Parade in Richmond Road and The Common in Staines Road - will shut along with the Broad Street office in Teddington.
Twickenham MP Vincent Cable, who has lobbied to save the branches, said: "We made a number of strong representations to the Post Office, but they haven't been budged, going back on only very rare cases."
The borough's London Assembly member Tony Arbour said: "These closures are going ahead against massive public anger. Local post offices are the anchors of the community and without them the small shopping centres, of which they are the hub, may die leaving the whole community the poorer."
Harry Patel has run the Broad Street branch with his wife Usha for 24 years. He said people were not given enough guidance on the arguments for saving his business, adding it would have a huge impact on those who may not realise how much they rely on the service.
He added: "They should put a candid camera up to see the problems people are going to face. This is going to be devastating for some."
The Post Office said the Teddington branch was closed because there are two others less than a mile away, both on bus routes.
Outside the Staines Road branch this week Gemma Day, 41, from Elmsleigh Road, Twickenham, said: "As a photographer, I work from home. On a deadline I can catch the post here. It always seems busy, and its closing will really affect me."
And at the Cambridge Parade branch, John Gordon, 66, a retiree from Park Road, said: "I'm very sad about it because I use it very regularly. Usually there is quite a queue at the Richmond office."
The three borough branches are among 155 to close in the capital. After a six-week consultation seven branches were saved and seven are being reviewed.
Post Office network development manager for London Anita Turner said: "These are difficult decisions which have not been taken lightly. We have considered very carefully all the comments made during the public consultation."
Postmasters have been given up to three months to close, and until Monday to tell the Post Office of their preferred closing date within that deadline.
5:39pm Friday 9th May 2008
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