FEWER than 30 people attended Post Office Ltd's customer drop-in meeting on Friday, organised to allow them to discuss planned changes to the branch in Northolt Road.

Among them was Harrow West MP Gareth Thomas, who handed over 800 protest letters, collected by the Communication Workers Union, to the Post Office's head of area, Jackie Iseley.

Post Office Ltd wants to privatise the branch, with K.P Retail including a Post Office counter in a card and gift shop.

On Friday, floor plans were displayed at South Harrow Sports and Social Club in Valentine Road, and Post Office representatives were on hand to answer customers' questions.

But Simon Storer, acting head of external communications, and George Hooper, head of area for urban post offices, revealed that the decision about the takeover had already been made, as part of a series of privatisations of loss-making Crown Post Offices.

They said that K.P Retail was set up specifically for the job by a Mr Shah of Christchurch Avenue, Wealdstone, who has run a financial services company, K.P Holdings, "for some time", although he has never run a shop.

The Post Office advertises for new franchisees in the national press and carries out "rigorous checks and interviews". Applicants must submit a detailed business plan, and K.P Retail will sign a 14-year contract to run an "expanded service" in South Harrow.

One resident, John Bathard of Westwood Avenue, South Harrow, said: "The Post Office has been run by the nation since Charles II, and it should stay that way."

Commenting on why so few people had turned up, Huw Davies, regional chairman of the CWU, said: "The Post Office boycotted our public meeting last week. Why should the public turn up to theirs?"

The consumers' watchdog Postwatch revealed yesterday (Wednesday) that "mystery shoppers" would be sent to the branch when the new franchisee had taken over. and problems would be reported to Post Office Ltd.