THERE was standing room only at the Baptist church hall in Northolt Road on Tuesday evening when South Harrow residents met to voice their opposition to the privatisation of the Crown Post Office in Northolt Road.

Nearly 100 people turned up to protest against the sale of the office to K.P Retail, which would run the Post Office alongside a card and gift shop. They pledged to boycott the company if the move went ahead.

The meeting was chaired by Huw Davies, regional chairman of the Communication Workers' Union, and speakers included Andy Fury, CWU national officer; Neville Hughes, president of South Harrow and Roxeth Residents' Association (SHARRA) and chairman of Harrow Shopmobility, and Roxeth councillor Jerry Miles.

Representitives of consumer watchdog Postwatch, Post Office Ltd and K.P Retail declined invitations to address the meeting. It was alleged at the meeting that K.P Retail, which was only formed in September, had no director or company secretary, and has no previous experience of running a Post Office.

Mr Fury expressed his disgust that they had not shown up, saying: "The Post Office is not here because it can't defend its actions. It's an absolute disgrace.

"It wants to do this changeover quickly: that's why it announced it between Christmas and New Year. It is calculating and devious.

"I am suspicious of the fact that K.P Retail is not prepared to come to face the music tonight or to explain what it is doing. The Post Office has done a nice, cosy little deal with K.P Retail. Why does it get the monopoly?"

One resident said he had conducted a survey along Northolt Road and counted 12 card and gift shops and could not see why another was necessary on the Post Office site.

"The Post Office is key to the sustainability of the area," said Mr Hughes. "We have confidence in the current staff's integrity and we have confidence that these people know what they are doing. One wants to be assured about security and safety.

"K.P Retail is a newly founded company. We have very, very serious reasons for concern. I think it's absolutely incredible that the takeover wasn't put up for tender."

Other concerns raised included the consequences if K.P Retail went bust; disabled access and facilities; security and safety; whether standards of service would be equal to those at the Crown Post Office; the effect on local shops and businesses, and the implications for other Post Offices in Harrow.

Councillor Miles told the protesters that there had been a unanimous motion passed by the Labour group concerning the proposal, and he said he hoped it would go to the full council next month.

The scale of opposition was confirmed when Mr Davies revealed that the CWU had collected more than 1,300 protest letters from shoppers and residents at a stall set up daily outside the Post Office.

Post Office Ltd is holding a customers' drop-in meeting tomorrow (Friday) between 10am and 2pm to give people a chance to discuss the proposal. It will be at the South Harrow Sports and Social Club in Valentine Road, South Harrow.