Pensioners turn protesters to save estate post office

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Closure looms in row over insistence that counters open six days a week

PENSIONERS fear they will struggle to collect pensions and pay rent if a popular post office in Regent’s Park shuts.
The office in Albany Street serves about 6,000 people living on the Regent’s Park estate.
But the two busy counters inside a local pharmacy are threatened with closure on May 23 following a contractual dispute over opening hours between the Post Office and the chemist who runs the service.
Pensioner June Thomas, 76, said: “We need the post office to pay our rent and tax and collect our pension. We are not the sort of people who can pay things on computers. Many of us can’t get on buses. We will have to go to Camden High Street, which is already incredibly busy.”
For another pensioner, Irene Fage, 88, her trip to the post office is the only time she goes out each week. “It’s the only time I get to see other people really,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to make it to Camden Town. I don’t know what I’ll do.”
Pat Poole, 68, added: “All we are interested in is keeping our post office open.”
Vimal Shah, who has a contract to run the post office from his Albany Street Pharmacy six days a week, has been forced to shut at the weekend after running up heavy losses. He said: “I am losing money – around £12,000 last year. If it goes on I will have to close both the pharmacy and the post office. All I want to do is open five days a week. That is what everyone wants, but the Post Office won’t change my contract.”
Residents protesting outside the pharmacy on Tuesday say they are happy for the post office to open during the week only. But the Post Office maintains that, as the outlet is in a densely populated area, it must open at least six days a week. Mr Shah has been warned he is in breach of his contract, due to be terminated on May 22.
Regent’s Park ward Labour councillor Theo Blackwell said: “The Post Office is being really inflexible here. Surely, it is better to have it open five days a week than none at all? I have asked the council to investigate whether Camden High Street can take the extra 6,000. I don’t think it can. There are already people queuing in the rain to get in there.”
A Post Office spokeswoman said: “We understand that customers around Regent’s Park will be concerned about the future of post office services in their area. The provision of a post office branch in the community is important to us, and we will continue to work hard to restore a facility in the area as soon as possible. Unfortunately, our efforts have so far failed.”
She added: “I would urge any potential partners interested in running the post office service to come forward.”

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Royal Mail inflexibility reaches all the way to Albany St

While the Government is being torn apart over the future of Royal Mail,
what may be considerably a lesser question arises over a post office in
Albany Street, Regents Park (see story, page 5 and letter below).

To the protestors, the parliamentary battle between the unelected
Peter Mandelson, who wants to semi-privatise the Royal Mail, and his
opponents, nearly 150 Labour MPs, all this may seem a lot of high politics.
But it is, in fact, directly linked.

It appears that at the heart of the contractual tussle is the chemist who
runs the sevice's wishes to open its counters just five days a week.

Obstinately, the Post Office says no, they must be open six days. And
this despite protests from 6,000 locals as well as ward councillors.

We believe a major fault line running through Royal Mail has been poor,
inflexible management since, at least the 1990s.

Management-union relations have been at a low ebb for years - and more
often than not the executive can be blamed.

To complicate things profits made by Royal Mail have had to be ploughed
back into Whitehall accounts, thus weakening the organisation.

Inflexibility, it seems, runs through the Royal Mail. It does not surprise
us to discover the regional management is stubbornly refusing to
compromise over the Albany Street post office at a time when their
bosses on the executive board - also known for their inflexibility - are
digging their heels in over proposals to, effectively, sell off a large share
of the business to a Dutch company.

Local moves by the Post Office have their roots in high politics, after all.

Editorial Comment
Camden New Journal
7 May 2009
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Post Office under threat

I am extremely concerned about the proposed
closure of Albany Street Post Office, located in
Kings Pharmacy. This closure would put even
more pressure on the Camden High Street office.

Pensioners have to queue up for ages as it is.
The post office is really important to the local
community and I am worried about the distances
people will have to travel to get a proper service
if this closure takes place.

Tulip Siddiq
Judd Street, WC1

Letters to the Editor
Camden New Journal
7 May 2009

[DGP1]

We believe a major fault line running through Royal Mail has been poor,
inflexible management since, at least the 1990s.

Management-union relations have been at a low ebb for years - and more
often than not the executive can be blamed.