Post Offices and Queue Watch

The loss of 5 post offices across Kingston and Surbiton earlier this year was a body blow – especially to many pensioners and disabled people. The good news that Tolworth Broadway’s Post Office is now re-opened, after much persuasion, could only ever partially offset those closures.

Indeed, I keep receiving reports of long queuing times at some post offices, especially the main branches at Surbiton, Kingston and New Malden. This is what we warned Post Office Limited of - never believing their assurances of “new extra capacity” at surviving offices.

It’s why I’m running a “Queue Watch” campaign – asking residents to record the time they wait to get served. If you’d like to help, call my office on 020 8288 0161 for a survey form or download one from my website.

Yet, unbelievably, there’s a chance things could get worse – with even more post offices closing – as Ministers look to take more Government business away from sub-post offices.

People using post offices to draw their pension or benefit currently use a “Post Office Card Account”. There’s alarm that the Government may award the next contract for paying pensions and benefits to a private firm, just as they did for TV licences with PayPal.

Liberal Democrats this week used one of the rare days we get to decide what Parliament debates to discuss two things - the current economic crisis and the future of the Post Office Card Account.

We must stop the Government preventing pensioners and others getting paid via the post offices – otherwise, thousands more branches across the country will close.