Another Plea To The Post Office.

Councillor Phil Bateman said "On the first day of the announcement that Sub Post Offices were being looked at for closure across the City. I warned through comment in the Express and Star that the decisions being entered into would not be seen to be helpful to the City at large.

This has proven to be the case, and there are a lot of neighbourhoods in Wolverhampton that are very angry. I have submitted one appeal to the Post Office management in September, and I have today submitted a further appeal today on behalf of residents of Wednesfield North. Arguing for the retention of the Post Office in Stubby Lane Wednesfield.

Here is the thrust of the comments made in that latest correspondence displayed now on these pages. This is the text in full.

To the Management of Post Offices Ltd.
I would like to make some additional points to the issues that I raised in my original correspondence on the 9th September. I have continued to receive comments from users of the facility concerning the proposed closure of the Post Office at 61 Stubby Lane Wednesfield. My constituents remain unhappy at the closure proposals.

Some work by the local authority points out that the locality has an above
average number of pensioners [20%] and an above average number of households
[24%] being with dependents, that is a child aged between 0-15 or 16-18 in
full time education. Both of these groups are more likely to be users of the
post office and we believe that this helps to make a case for the retention
of this particular branch.

Added to that the spontaneous residents protest that you have had, and I
hope that you have recorded.This action displayed the strength of commitment that residents feel towards their Post Office.
Aligned alongside that passion that residents are displaying to retain this
important community facility is the fact that,the next nearest branch is one mile away while the nearest receiving branch office is a further 1.3 mile away.

There are so many pensioners in the area the decision to close will have a retrograde impact on them. I am keen to once again register my protest at
this decision and to de-nounce a lack of reasoned argument that is coming
from the Post Office Ltd in support of this decision to close such an
important community facility here in Wednesfield.

Yours sincerely
Councillor Phil Bateman MBE