Campaigners fail to save Garden Village Post Office
| Published: 2nd September 2008 11:51 |
CALL FOR INDEPENDENT INQUIRY INTO POST OFFICE CLOSURE PROGRAM
Campaigners fighting to save their award winning Post Office have today failed in their efforts to make Post Office Ltd think again about closing the Garden Village Post Office in Gosforth under the Network Change Program. Despite an intensive campaign which has seen a Petition of over 1,850+ signatures handed in and several thousand letters and e-mails of support sent to the Network Change Team & local MP Doug Henderson, their efforts appear to have been in vain.
Post Office Bosses will announce officially via their Final Area Plan for the Tyne & Wear/Northumberland Region on Tuesday Morning, that their original decision to close Garden Village Post Office in Gosforth will still stand - There is no right of appeal against the Final Decision Area Plan & it is expected that the Post Office Counter will be removed as early as October 2008, with the shop to close down in December 2008.
Campaign Co-ordinator of the Save Garden Village Post Office Campaign, Fiona Beare (36) says : " I am extremely disappointed & immensely saddened that despite all of our best efforts, Post Office Ltd have completely failed to listen, understand & appreciate, exactly what the loss of this Post Office will have on this area.
"It is clear this so-called 6 week public consultation period has been a total sham on the part of Post Office Ltd & by their actions, at the stroke of a pen, they have completely ripped out the heart of this community. My thoughts are now with the Maughan's as they face the complete loss of their business & have to pick up the pieces from the devastating blow that Post Office Ltd have delivered to them this day."
Mrs. Beare is calling for an Independent Inquiry into the whole of the Post Office Closure Program and will seek to lobby for an appeal to the Government Minister of Postal Affairs Pat McFadden MP & her Constituency MP Doug Henderson (Labour Newcastle North).
She went on to say "The Post Office throughout this closure program have acted as Judge & Jury as well as Executioner & surely this can't be right. I call for an inquiry because Post Office Ltd will not release the criteria they have taking into account when making a decision to close an office."
Local feelings are already running very high over the closure of the Post Office, & there are murmurings that the MP's seat (Doug Henderson Labour North) maybe now under threat at the next General Election.
The Campaign to save the Post Office was started by local resident Fiona Beare (36) along with her neighbours Anna Scott (71) The campaign has ran throughout the Consultation Period in order to highlight just how much of impact the loss of the Garden Village Post Office would have on its community. - The campaign will now formally end from today.
There have been many people who have also assisted with the Campaign to Save Garden Village Post Office from closure & the campaign. The campaign thanks each & every one of them for their valuable contribution.Special thanks must go to the whole of the Garden Village Community who have supported the campaign all the way from day one.
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