Lord Mandelson urged to save his local post office

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PENSIONERS fighting to save a Regent’s Park post office from closure are pinning their hopes on one of its more prominent neighbours – Lord Mandelson.
The Labour peer lives in a mansion just a few minutes’ walk from the post office in Albany Street.

And, as the government’s Business Secretary, he has a prime role in negotiations with the Post Office over the future of the service. He has been urged to intervene to save the Albany Street service, which is due to close on May 23.

As the New Journal revealed last week, Post Office bosses are refusing to re-negotiate a contract with the sub-postmaster, Vimal Shah, a pharmacist who can no longer afford to keep it open on weekends.

While campaigners think it is unlikely Lord Mandelson has ever used the Albany Street post office – or shares the needs of the hundreds of pensioners living on the Regent’s Park Estate – it is hoped he will act to stop a post office closing down on his doorstep.

He has been reminded of his comments in a House of Lords debate in March that the government “have no intention of supporting any further programme of post office closures”.

Regent’s Park ward Labour councillor Theo Blackwell, in a letter to Lord Mandelson’s office this week, said: “It seems perverse to me at a time of recession that a compromise could not have been struck between the interests of the Albany Street branch, local residents and the Post Office.

“I am sure people, for example, would be more willing to accept a more limited service, rather than an outright closure if given the choice.”

The Post Office terminated the contract after Mr Shah said he could not open six days a week after running up huge losses.

Lord Mandelson was unavailable for comment yesterday (Wednesday) but a Department for Business spokesman said: “We understand that Royal Mail are already working hard to maintain a facility to the area. We hope that this can be achieved as soon as possible.”

A Camden Council spokeswoman said Lib Dem council leader Cllr Keith Moffitt will meet “face-to-face” with Post Office Ltd bosses on May 26 to discuss the changes.