Post Office accused of 'only paying lip service to public opinion' over Bury move

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The Post Office has been accused of ‘paying lip service’ to public consultation over moving Bury St Edmunds crown office into WH Smith.

After a two hour meeting with Post Office and Communication Workers’ Union representatives on Wednesday, Bury MP Jo Churchill said she was ‘extremely disappointed’ with the Post Office’s stance and Bury Town Council Chairman and ward borough councillor Andrew Speed said they felt the move had already been decided.

“They’re just paying lip service to public opinion,” he said. “It’s also disappointing that other commercial options weren’t chosen for the site.


“Three-quarters of the building is sitting idle at the moment, but we don’t think they’ve looked at any other option than franchising to WH Smith.

“The first and second floors were renovated in 1986 and I don’t think they’ve been used much since.

“The Post Office say they have to make a profit, and I understand that, but one way of doing that is you don’t use only a quarter of a building on a prime town centre site.”

A Post Office spokeswoman said: “We have been asked about developing the property to make money. We are not property developers – we are Government-owned and responsible for taxpayers’ money and we want to ensure that our Crown branches are sustainable on the UK’s high streets in their own right for years to come.”