My post office is no longer viable

Telegraph & Argus 23rd August 2004

Related to Woodbottom and Otley Road

My post office is no longer viable

The postmaster of one of 17 post offices earmarked for closure has blamed a new credit system for his loss of trade.

Kenneth Earl, and his wife Eileen, who have run the Woodbottom Post Office in Baildon for 15 years, said the business was no longer viable because people were not using it enough.

Mr Earl, 61, said the Government's new credit system which allows people to have benefits, including their pension, paid directly into their bank accounts was to blame for the post office losing customers.

"When people are not coming in for their pensions, they are not coming in to buy anything else either," he said. "It makes the business untenable. When we first started we used to process 200 family allowances a week, now we do 12.

"They are taking all this work away now, and all the post offices in the country are going through the same experience. Rates are going up, nothing's going down, and we cannot survive on what we are taking over the counter."

The post office on Otley Road serves a range of customers of all ages, and also sells cards and a small selection of groceries and confectionery.

Mr Earl added: "When we explain to customers they understand why we have to close. It is a community service and we are sorry to see it close, but people are not using it and we are struggling to pay our bills."

The couple hope to semi-retire if the post office closes.

The Post Office plans to close the post offices across the Bradford district as part of its Urban Reinvention Programme.

The company says that falling customer numbers and increased running costs have led to the closures.

The closest post office to Woodbottom is Tong Park Post Office, on St James Place, Baildon, but this is also earmarked for closure.

If both closures go ahead, customers will have to travel to Station Road, Baildon, which is just short of a mile away from Woodbottom Post Office and up a steep hill, or the busy Asda Superstore branch on Manor Lane, Shipley, which is a mile away, to access post office services.

Otley Road residents Ian and Jana Dannart said they used the Woodbottom post office on a weekly basis.

Mr Dannart said: "There are a lot of older people around here and none of us are getting any younger, that is why we bought our bungalow.

"It is the older people I feel sorry for, it is not that easy to trail all the way into Shipley or to climb the hill onto Station Road. It is a good spot here, with a good parking area and the people that run it are nice, friendly people. We will be sorry to see it go."

And fellow traders said they would also suffer.

Janet Thomas, of Janet's Flowers, on Otley Road, said: "It will be a blow to us. People come here to use that shop and we will be sorry to see it go."

And Steven Lee, the owner of the Happy House Chinese Takeaway, next door to the post office, added: "I will be sad to see it close. It is very convenient for me, and I use it to buy stamps and other things. It is very sad for all of the local community."

A six-week consultation has been launched on the Baildon proposal, which closes on September 22.

People wishing to comment on the scheme should write to Eddie Herbert, Head of Area, Post Office Limited, c/o The National Consultation Team, PO Box 2060, Watford, WD18 8ZW.

If the scheme goes ahead, the post office is likely to close in November.