THE BOROUGH’S Labour party have expressed fears that a New Year consultation over plans to close Wokingham’s Post Office will be a sham.
Under the proposals, the historic Broad Street branch will have its doors shut and a new kiosk will open in the Market Place WH Smith.
So far more than 1,400 people have signed the party’s petition urging the Post Office to think again.
The party were in Wokingham on Saturday and said that the response from residents was “overwhelming”.
Labour councillor Carl Doran said: “Several times during the day, post office customers volunteered to take the petitions into the post office where they were circulated among queuing customers.”
And following on from a council debate held on Thursday, November 26, earlier this week, Cllr Philip Mirfin, the executive member for regeneration, released his letter that he’s sent to the Post Office over the proposals.
“I speak on behalf of the full Council in expressing our dismay at this proposed move,” he noted.
“I ask you to please reconsider moving the main post office, better still widen its services and capacity to take advantage of the additional residents and retail units that it can provide a better service to and you will profit from the experience.”
A second letter will be sent by Wokingham Town Council following their meeting on Tuesday night.
But Wokingham Labour group leader Cllr Andy Croy feels that the consultation will not yield much joy.
He said: “The Post Office ‘consultation’ about the unpopular decision to move some post office services from its iconic home in Broad Street to the back of a shabby WHSmith is little more than a con.
“I have looked at the current consultation for a similar move in Reading and it is a disgrace.
“And this is exactly the sort of ‘consultation’ we will be getting in Wokingham.
“It has just 11 questions. One of these is ‘name’; a second is ‘email address’. And two more questions on if it is a good consultation or not.
“There is not a single question on the desirability of the move itself. They simply are not interested in measuring public support because they know what the response would be.
“It’s a con, not a consultation.
“There is an even worse consultation running in Camberley. That has even fewer questions.
“If they wanted a simple consultation they should have started with the obvious question: Do you want Wokingham’s Crown Post Office to close?
“We know from talking to residents what the response would be.
“There is a very real danger that if John Redwood MP does not take this issue up forcefully with the Minister for Postal Services it will be a done deal in the New Year. It is simply not good enough to wait for this sham consultation to come rolling down the tracks.
“The Post Office is a limited company owned by the state. We own it and Mr Redwood has to make absolutely clear to the Minister that this move is unacceptable.
“It is time for our Member of Parliament to stand up for Wokingham.”
John Redwood has noted in his online blog: “I am told the Consultation over the future of Wokingham Post Office is delayed until the new year. Only then will we be told what they have in mind and why they think an alternative will be better.
“I will study the proposals and put in a response to the Consultation when they get there.”
