Post Office Closures

[lancsdave]

3 Hyndburn post office closures have been announced tonight;

Church Post Office, 9A Market Street, Accrington
Huncoat Post Office, 10-12 Station Road, Huncoat
St Huberts Post Office, 108 Queen Street, Great Harwood

Can't be many left now.

[WillowTheWhisp]

We were only saying on Saturday that we were surprised the one in Market Street had managed to survive - we shouldn't have said anything!

[lancsdave]

Also closing ones in Hapton & Higham. Wonder where there nearest ones will be afterwards

[Lilly]

That's terrible.

There are a lot of old people in Church and Huncoat who use the Post Offices and it'll be hard for them having to get the bus into Accrington in all weathers. Makes me very cross.

How many more are we going to lose?

[MargaretR]

A few years ago you couldn't buy a stamp anywhere else. The decline began when shops started selling them. The only thing that kept Post Offices going was benefit Giros - now the money is paid into bank accounts there was nothing to stop their rapid downhill decline.
There may well be hardship experienced by some elderly folk who regarded the cashing of their pension as their only social excursion in an otherwise lonely existence= SAD
I rarely visit a Post Office, but on Monday I had to venture out in the wild wet winter weather to return an Ebay item, and in my ignorance I walked into what once was Moorend Post Office. I then went to the new PO facility in the Ossy Coop, which is nearer.
My cousin in South Wales is dreading the closure of her local PO because the salary the shopkeeper gets for having the facility in her local shop is the only thing that keeps it financially viable for the shop owner, and there is no other shop for 15 miles.
So these closures are saving costs but causing some social problems.

[Lilly]

I've just found the full list of those earmarked for closure. After a 6 week consultation period, it seems East Lancs is going to lose 23 Post Offices!

Post Office Closures Bombshell (from Blackburn Citizen)

[claytonender]

I think that the closure of these post offices will cause a great deal of hardship to alot of people. I use the post office to pay utility bills, our council tax and our car ta. I know that I could very easily pay these either by DD, interent/telephone banking or online (in the case of our car tax). But prefer to pay when it is convenient for me rather than the company. I often use the post office in Queen Street, the postmaster is very helpful if you need to ask any questions.
If you make it even more difficult to use Post Offices, the revenue (for the ones still open) will fall even further, because people will use the alternative ways to pay bills etc. I noticed that the Hapton Post Office, is one marked for closure, it will be very difficult, if you have no transport getting to another post office from Hapton (also the same applies to the Higham Postr Office), as it will be several miles to the nearest Post Office. The rationale behind some of these closures are very hard to begin to undersatand.

[cashman]

do they post letters now in hapton? thought they still used the deadwood stage,or smoke signals.

[garinda]

Personally I blame all of you who voted for Thatcher, and her backing for the free market economy.

We're reaping what we sowed.

[cashman]

Originally Posted by garinda

Personally I blame all of you who voted for Thatcher, and her backing for the free market economy.

We're reaping what we sowed.

funny, my thoughts also.

[Less]

Perhaps they could have been kept open if the the £25 billion had been invested in the Post Office instead of in That Rocky Rock Bank!

It works out that something like £2,000 has been invested per man woman and child in the country to that bank, but a handy just around the corner post office can be left to go to the wall!

[jackyalex]

Originally Posted by garinda

Personally I blame all of you who voted for Thatcher, and her backing for the free market economy.

We're reaping what we sowed.

whats thatcher got to do with it?, and G where have you been, eversince i can remember labour have been in power

[panther]

since these post offices have shut, i thought accy one would have been very busy, but its been empty nearly everytime i go in

[MargaretR]

About 15 years ago a visit to Accy GPO was a thing to groan about --long queues most of the time----perhaps if they had made visits less unpleasant then they might have had more public support now.

[Mick]

looks like the one on Blackburn rd has survived the closers upto now anyway