Davey continuing Post Office campaign

6.01.03

Local MP expresses alarm at recent proposed closure

Kingston and Surbiton's Liberal Democrat MP, Edward Davey, is continuing to support the campaign to halt the closure of local Post Offices in light of the recent announcement that yet another post office in the Borough is to be permanently closed. Ewell Road Post Office, Tolworth may be axed next, with the final decision to take place in March 2003.

Coupled with this disappointing news comes the announcement that, despite the offer made by local residents to form a co-operative arrangement to run the South Lane post office in New Malden, senior Post Office managers are unwilling to support such an option and claim to see no feasible alternative to the closure of South Lane.

Edward Davey MP and two local residents had met with Richard Barker, the General Manager for Urban Post Offices on Friday December 13th to try and secure a suitable replacement for the recently closed South Lane Post Office but their representations were rejected.

Edward Davey MP is urging constituents concerned about the new proposed closure to contact him with their views and also to write to Drew McBride, the Post Office head of area, to protest against this ongoing threat to our local post offices. Edward Davey commented:

"This new proposed closure of the post office at Ewell Road should alarm us all and backs what Liberal Democrats have been saying for some time about the threat to local post offices.

"There is a real threat to our whole urban post office network. Ministers are forcing the Post Office into a massive closure programme. The Liberal Democrats' national campaign to "Save our Post Offices" is needed now more than ever.

"The proposed closure of Ewell Rd would mean a huge increase the workload of nearby post offices. Even major branches like Surbiton are already failing to meet the needs of the local community. I've complained several times about the long queue waits at Surbiton's main post outlet, yet they now make these ill-considered proposals.

"I was extremely disappointed that the Post Office's top manager was not prepared to embrace residents' imaginative idea for a co-operative at South Lane. The huge support for this idea locally showed it was a real possibility.

"This news is extremely worrying for local residents. We must keep campaigning hard to stop this."