Anger at decision to shut 91 post offices
ROYAL Mail's decision to close more than 90 post offices across Ulster will "rip the heart out" of many communities, it has been warned.
The publicly-owned main company announced the results of a six-week consultation process on Monday, rubber-stamping its proposal to close 91 post offices.
Only 53 of the branches will be replaced by a mobile post office or allow residents to access postal services through other "outreach services".
Following the consultation period, Royal Mail only reversed its initial decision in the case of four branches – Parkhall in Antrim, Strathroy in Omagh, the Throne Post Office in Newtownabbey and Attical in Newry.
Business leaders, trade unions and politicians lined up to lambast Royal Mail for "putting profit ahead of people" but the decision to close the branches was really taken by the Government in Westminster which has told Royal Mail to reduce its current losses of 4 million a week.
The Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA) said it was disappointed that "economically viable" post offices were among those being closed.
Shambles
Chief executive Glyn Roberts said: "Despite an excellent report from the Assembly yesterday and a united call from MLAs to radically rethink the closure programme, Royal Mail have pushed ahead with this shambles of a closure programme which will result in the loss of jobs, damage to the economy and hurt local communities."
However, the Post Office said that while a branch may appear profitable, they were subsidised.
A spokeswoman said: "Loss-making offices are frequently characterised as profitable to the subpostmaster.
"The reality is that they are subsidised by Post Office Ltd and that subsidy is increasing and unsustainable.
"However, the level of profitability to Post Office Ltd or to the subpostmaster is not the overriding consideration in proposing a particular branch for closure or outreach."
DUP East Londonderry MLA George Robinson said many young families and pensioners have effectively been given a benefit cut as they would have to pay to travel further to a post office.
The Federation of Small Businesses said the closures would "tear the heart out of local communities" with an adverse knock-on effect on local businesses.
Disgusted
The Communication Workers' Union said it was "angry and disgusted" at the cuts which it said would be felt far beyond the employees who will lose their jobs.
The Alliance Party's deputy leader, Naomi Long, said she had been contacted by more than 1,200 people from her East Belfast constituency opposing the closures – the Belmont, Summerhill and Orangefield post offices will be closed.
And East Belfast DUP MLA Robin Newton, who chaired the Assembly's committee on postal services, attacked Royal Mail for the length of time it allowed for consultation.
"One of the key recurring themes in all the evidence to the committee was that the six-week deadline for responses to Post Office Ltd's consultation on the implementation of the closures was much too short," he said.
"On top of that Post Office Ltd itself had only three weeks in which to consider the responses to it and to firm up on its decisions."
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Sunday 27 May 2012
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