POST office closures will be a “disaster”, a top councillor has warned.
Yesterday the Post Office announced plans to shut nine branches in north Kirklees.
The branches in line for the axe are: Bradford Road in Batley, Fieldhead in Birstall, Soothill, Staincliffe, Savile Town in Dewsbury, Whitley, Six Lane Ends in Heckmondwike, Hopton in Mirfield and Knowle.
Closures in Huddersfield and the Valleys will be announced in August.
Kirklees Council leader Clr Robert Light is angry at the plans.
He said: “The closures are a disaster for many of our residents who rely on the services provided by their local post office. The Government has overseen a sham consultation and they have not listened to any of the arguments they have been presented with.
“Our local MPs have turned a blind eye to the issue and simply done as instructed by their Government, without consideration for the people affected.”
Clr Light also criticised the timing of the announcement, which came after the council elections on May 1 He said: “It’s a disgrace that the Government sat on this information for weeks, deliberately waiting until after the local elections. We will continue to oppose these closures and try to get the Government to reconsider.”
But Post Office bosses have defended their decision to propose shutting dozens of branches across West Yorkshire.
They insisted the six-week local public consultation would enable residents to see how little they would be affected by the shutdown plans, but opponents of the move are gearing up for a tough battle.
Local MPs Mike Wood (Batley & Spen) and Chris McCafferty (Calder Valley) have vowed to fight the closure plans which would hit several post offices in their areas.
And Help The Aged are calling on elderly people in communities hit by the plans to lodge their protests.
The Post Office plan proposes a network of 282 branches across the area, while 63 existing branches would close.
The Government has already undertaken a 12-week national consultation before reaching a decision to reduce the UK-wide network of Post Office branches by up to 2,500 from its current level of around 14,000.
Adrian Wales, Post Office Ltd’s Network Development Manager for the North East, which includes West Yorkshire, said: “Taking the decision to close any Post Office branch is always very difficult and we know it will cause concern to many of our customers.
“We want to ensure that everyone who uses, relies on, or has any concern with Post Office services is both fully aware of the proposed changes and able to give views on them.
“Post Office Ltd’s aim is to continue to provide essential services and support retail businesses and the local economy in as many communities as possible, subject to the minimum access set by the Government.”
Help The Aged’s Alan Burnett said: “Petitions and placards won’t be enough, some closures are clearly inevitable. But well-researched and factually-based challenges to the Post Office could shape the final outcome.”
Contact the group on www.postofficeclosures.org.uk
