On Friday I spoke to Colin, our Postmaster. We discussed Postwatch Wales' Chairman Eifion Pritchard's response to a letter from Jane Davidson in which she asked why his organisation dropped their support for our post office at the last minute.
After close analysis of Mr Pritchard's letter it once again became depressingly clear how toothless Postwatch Wales have been, how weak they were when presented with a compelling case to support and how they badly let down the very people they claim to champion, the consumer, particularly the elderly customer.
Here Colin outlines in great detail the weaknesses in Mr Pritchard's letter. He also assesses the wider ramifications closure will have on our community.
"The letter does not say when the decision was made or at what level. It's only the last few paragraphs that has anything pertaining to us.
"When Postwatch Wales write about the second stage review they refer to 'a relatively low customer usage', well that's debatable. I don't class 500 plus customers a week as a low usage, not by today's standards.
"The phrase 'relatively low' means we could well be a profitable post office. Unfortunately, of course, Post Office Ltd. won't tell us whether we are or not.
"As for what they write about small businesses, that's a kick in the teeth for them. Postwatch Wales haven't listened to the town's entrepreneurs at all.
"The fact is if business people do decide to travel by car to the nearest post office that will only lead to congestion and make the roads more dangerous.
"The letter makes no mention whatsoever of the elderly or the problems they'll face, it just seems they've given up on them because we've still got the problem of no public transport accessing the old people's complex in Llantrisant.
"They will still have to walk uphill to get a bus, or they'll have to get a taxi. That's (approximately) a £6 return trip out of their pension.
"Assuming the 'combi' tll refers to the Co-op at Cross Inn, that will lead to a major rethink on their shop tills. (A 'combi' till is where customers can access Post Office transactions at the retail counter). Again, who's going to pay for that? Will the Post Office provide sweeteners or will the Co-op stand the cost? To install these designs will mean a major redesign of their counters which are already cluttered.
"Post Office Ltd are rubbing salt in to an already open wound when they suggest finding alternative businesses in the area from where to sell stamps.
"We've got somewhere up here selling stamps now, it's called the post office.
"In one foul swoop they're closing me down and now they're talking about an alternative business to sell stamps for them. Where?
"As for Postwatch Wales, I'm really disappointed with them. Their role is to help us and the consumer, their duty is not to be toothless, to give in to Post Office Ltd.
"If they had reservations, which they clearly did have, they've got the power to say to Post Office Ltd: 'We want this to go further, to Allan Leighton', even if Post Office Ltd don't want that to happen.
"Postwatch Wales keep saying they haven't got a veto, they haven't got power, but they have, they've got the power to refer the decision to the final phase.
"I think Postwatch Wales should have the conviction to go all the way if they feel strongly enough about a particular post office. Pressure's obviously been put on them somewhere but by whom? We're still trying to find that out. It looks like they had the conviction but it's been beaten out of them.
"The fact that three additional points were made in the letter - which were not brought up when it was announced we were to close - underlines that even Post Office Ltd have reservations about the issues Postwatch Wales raised.
"Overall, the letter is pathetic. Postwatch Wales haven't truly listened to a thing we've said.
"The fact is closing the post office means Llantrisant's regenerations plans have taken a big blow; the elderly will suffer and the roads will become more dangerous and congested.
"The closure of this office will put Llantrisant back in time, not into the 21st Century.
"Llantrisant is one of the oldest towns in South Wales. How many towns like us have not got a post office?
"We could go down in history as being the first."
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