MP's meeting reveals more details about closure plans for Post Office in Petersfield town centre

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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PETERSFIELD’S MP has sought assurances from the Post Office about the town centre’s branch and plans for its future continuation.

Post Office bosses are still looking for a commercial partner to take over the running of postal services in the town centre.

The search was launched after they announced the branch in The Square was one of 37 Crown Post Offices which were to be closed across the country.
Damian Hinds, MP?for East Hampshire, has revealed he has held a meeting with a representative of Post Office Ltd to find out more details about their plans.

The meeting showed that despite speculation linking retailers like WH?Smith and the Post Office moving into their store in Rams Walk, potential partners for taking over the business have yet to come forward and the whole process of transferring to a new operator could take up to 18 months to complete.
However, Mr Hinds can confirm that the current staff employed at the Post Office in The Square will not face compulsory redundancies and all of them will be offered re-employment on the same contractual terms they have at present.

Mr Hinds said:?"It is an undeniable fact that modern trends like e-mail and online banking make trading much more challenging for the Post Office.
“But it’s also true that the Post Office is a truly essential service for many. The building itself is an important part of Petersfield’s townscape and heritage.

“But the most important thing of all is the continuance of essential services, as well as ensuring the dedicated staff are treated fairly.

“I got some reassurance on these points from my meeting with Post Office Ltd, and will be monitoring plans as they develop."

The MP?could also reveal from his meeting that whoever takes on the franchise could continue to operate the Post Office from its current location.
When a franchise operator is found, services and products would remain the same as those offered in the current branch and opening hours would at least remain unchanged but could be extended by the new operators.

A?full accessibility study on any new location for the Post Office in the town centre and a six week public consultation will both have to be completed before the new partner is confirmed.

A?closing date of February 8 for expressions of interest for the Petersfield franchise has been put on the Post Office’s website.

Speculation can now also end as to what will happen with the building if the Post Office moves out.

The Royal Mail has a 999 year lease on the building and has confirmed separately to Mr Hinds that they have no plans to change their current delivery service operations at the site.

[Pompey Boy]

For those who don't know Petersfield is a very wealthy town about 1 hour from London by train. This means that property prices are very high. Family silver spring to mind