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Tony Robinson |
‘We simply can’t afford to lose our post office,’ insists Blackadder star
The campaign to save post offices has been stepped up as the Town Hall looks at possible alternatives.
THE campaign to save Formosa Street post office was stepped up this week as protesters took their fight to the Town Hall.
Campaigners against the closures, including former Blackadder star Tony Robinson, swelled the public gallery of Marylebone Town Hall at an emergency post office taskforce meeting on Wednesday to voice their opposition at plans to close the Maida Vale facility, which would leave the entire W9 area without a post office.
On Saturday more than 400 campaigners marched the hour-long journey in the driving wind and rain from Formosa Street to the next nearest post office in Circus Road, St John’s Wood.
A bumper petition of around 2,100 signitures was presented at the meeting.
Mr Robinson, who presents TV favourites Time Team and The Worst Jobs in History, said the planned closure would be a “devastating blow” for the area.
He said: “It seems like only a year ago that we were promised Formosa Street would stay open and now they tell us it’s going to close.
“It is the only post office in the whole of W9 and a lot of people depend on it. In my opinion the consultation has been a shambles and it needs to be extended.”
He went on to say that none of the other post offices suggested in the consultation – Bayswater, Kilburn, Edgware Road and St John’s Wood – were appropriate substitutes.
Mr Robinson added: “There are a lot of elderly people who use the post office and it is not acceptable to make them go to St John’s Wood, Bayswater or Edgeware Road. It would be back-breaking to ask elderly people to walk or get on a bus with a heavy parcel – not to mention how vulnerable they would be to someone wanting to snatch it away from them.
“Formosa Street has always been a busy office. I am self-employed and use it frequently on a business footing. We simply can’t afford to lose it.”
Post Office bosses launched a six-week consultation over the closure of Formosa Street and three other post offices in Harrow Road, Lisson Grove and Soho which ends on April 2.
At Wednesday’s full council meeting, council leader Sir Simon Milton said they would look into providing alternative buildings for postal services should the offices close.
He said: “Our ability to stop the closure is virtually nil and we are going to have to accept it.
“We have our hands tied, but what we can try and do is minimise the impact of the closure programme. We are going to take a look at it and are already in discussion with the Post Office about taking on their services in some of our buildings. But until they are transparent and open up their books then we have little knowledge over how much it actually costs and can’t make any decisions.”
Mayor of London Ken Livingstone is investigating possible legal action against the Post Office to extend the period of consultation to a year.
London Assembly member Murad Qureshi, who was on the march, said: “The proposed closures will disproportionately affect older Londoners, those with disabilities and anyone pushing a buggy or a pram.
“I will continue to do all I can to ensure that those who need a local post office most are not left high and dry.” |
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