A hugely popular campaign against the closure of the Brunswick Village post office has failed to persuade its bosses to save it.
The Post Office yesterday announced it was pressing ahead with plans to “merge” it with the Melville Road post office early in the New Year, despite 7,400 people signing hard copy and online petitions protesting the proposals, 400 individual representations and two public meetings.
No date has yet been set for the closure, which campaigners say will leave elderly and less mobile customers facing a lengthy walk up the hill to Seven Dials.
Hove MP Peter Kyle said the closure is “unforgivable”. He said: “I’m so angry that the insight and offers of partnership from residents to help solve the Post Office’s challenges was cast aside.
“The way this has been carried out, and the end result, has caused damage to our community and it is unforgiveable.”
Councillor Sykes, who set up the online petition, said: “This is a thoughtless and callous cut that makes no attempt to meet residents’ and businesses’ concerns and doesn’t seriously consider the effect on neighbouring post offices. The effect will be to run down the entire local network further.
“I’m shocked that the Post Office has not responded more positively to the huge weight of public opinion or considered any alternative provision. The response to the consultation has felt like a foregone conclusion, despite the massive impacts on local residents and nearby small businesses who will lose a lot of trade.”
The Post Office said the branch had been used by fewer customers in recent years, and said there are four other branches within a mile of the Western Road branch, three of which are accessible by bus.
Roger Gale, Crown Network General Manager, said: “We are committed to maintaining Post Office services in the area. We believe that merging Western Road into Melville Road is the right way forward from both a commercial sustainability and customer service perspective.
“We further believe that given the close proximity of the branches, together with the number of alternative Post Office branches in the surrounding area and their capacity to accommodate any additional footfall following the changes, local customer needs in Brighton and Hove will continue to be met.”
The recently refitted Melville Road branch will have staffing levels reviewed, and there will be no compulsory redundancies at the Brunswick Village branch, who have been given the option of transferring to Melville Road.
The campaign is not over.
Meanwhile, the Post Office’s reply to those who wrote to it says that some 400 letters were received. It is such letters being sent is what swings a campaign. People who shout and interrupt at meetings do not do the effective thing of writing in.