Norman Baker MP Member of Parliament for Lewes constituency
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Norman Baker,
23 East Street,
Lewes,
East Sussex,
BN7 2LJ.
Tel: (01273) 480281.
Fax: (01273) 480287.
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MP in top-level talks with the Post Office to save threatened local outlets
Local MP Norman Baker has met with senior officials at both the Post Office and Royal Mail in a bid to ward off the proposed closures of seven sub-post offices in the Lewes constituency.
Asking Post Office bosses to think again, he highlighted the following issues:
- Lewes (Landport): the survival of this office is key to the survival of the only shop on the estate. Furthermore, the main Crown Office in the High Street is already at bursting point following the closure of other sub-post offices in Lewes and simply could not cope with any more business.
- Newhaven (Denton): This sub-post office has only recently reopened, after pressure from the MP, and has proved a great success. Closing it would be senseless, and put enormous pressure on the only other office left in Newhaven.
- Seaford (Claremont Road): This sub-post office is busy, according to the Post Office’s own figures, and closure would not only inconvenience local people but put at risk other shops in the small parade.
- Seaford (Fairways): This sub-post office is the only shop in this part of Seaford, a part where many elderly people live. It is unrealistic to expect such people to struggle on foot across the main road to use the Chyngton office.
- Upper Dicker: This sub-post office is vital for the community and the Post Office’s figures have failed to account properly for the business derived from St Bede’s school.
- Wannock: The closure of this well-used office will leave an entire community with no alternative but to travel to either Polegate or Willingdon.
The MP has also started a number of petitions in threatened outlets and will be presenting these to the government and the Post Office before the consultation period closes.
Norman Baker says: "The Post Office has shared with me on a confidential basis information relating to the number of customers these threatened outlets deal with each week, and it is clear that the units at Landport, Denton and Claremont Road in particular are performing robustly, with a regular throughput in the upper hundreds. It seems clear to me that this closure programme is simply a brutal exercise designed to meet arbitrary government targets for cuts, rather than any sensible assessment of the network.
"Closing a local post office removes a keystone from the community. I am determined to do all I can to save these threatened offices."