Postwatch Wales' reply

This afternoon I received a reply to my open letter to Postwatch Wales. I'm happy to print the response, written by Sally Thomas, below and in its entirety.

John,

Thank you for your previous e-mail highlighting the “blog” and apologies for not responding sooner, I understood this to be for information purposes and it did prove very useful in our investigations.

In the case of Llantrisant post office, Postwatch Wales communicated its concerns to Post Office Ltd both during and at the end of public consultation. Postwatch Wales opposed the closure on several grounds – principally topography/terrain and the associated difficulty of accessing alternative post office services. This included both the walking route and routes to and from bus stops. We also raised concerns about the impact on the local economy (particularly local businesses) and the loss of access to cash.

In addition, Postwatch Wales highlighted several other factors such as parking at alternative branches and the number of “open” counter positions at the nearest branch in Cross Inn.

Unfortunately at the end of public consultation both Postwatch Wales and customers were unable to persuade Post Office Ltd to reconsider its proposal to close this branch. Therefore, we initiated the review procedure. However, at the second review, the Post Office Ltd decision prevailed. Postwatch Wales was disappointed to hear that Llantrisant Post Office will close. However, we should point out that this is a Post Office Ltd programme, being carried out after a government decision to close 2,500 post offices, and that Postwatch does not have any powers of veto.

Kind regards

Sally