Campaigners vow to save Burnley's iconic Crown Post Office

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http://wCAMPAIGNERS" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; have vowed to continue the fight to save Burnley’s Crown Post Office.

The building in Hargreaves Street is among the first 70 listed across the UK for potential closure as the Post Office looks for partners to run the branches.

Several thousand people have signed a petition against the move. And campaigners from Burnley Labour Party and the CWU trade union have set up a stall in the town centre.

The building is owned by the Post Office, but bosses claim it is too expensive to run. Staff were recently told the company was looking to transfer services to another town centre business.


Under the proposals, Burnley will still have a town centre post office, but those opposed to the move fear that losing the designated building will lead to reduced services and staffing cuts.

Leader of Burnley Council Julie Cooper said: “The people of Burnley want to keep their Crown post office and I will do everything possible to help them.”

A Post Office spokesman said: “Our Crown Network is losing £37m per year of public money.

“To put this into context for Burnley’s, it costs us £1.74 to bring in every £1 of revenue.

“We are committed to keeping Post Office branches on high streets across the UK. For 70 branches, including Burnley, the best way is to partner with a retailer. A new branch would offer access to the wide range of Post Office products with same levels of customer service.”

The spokesman added: “We are proposing that any franchise of Burnley Crown branch takes place this financial year.

“There will be no compulsory redundancies.

“There will be a six-week public consultation. We are committed to keeping a branch in Burnley.

“If no suitable retail partner is found, we are committed to keeping a Crown branch in Burnley.”

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