Cirencester Conservatives Working for the Community

Beeches and Stratton Post Offices Close

There were grounds for some optimism when Postwatch, the Post Office Regulator, wrote to Post Office Ltd in Early April 2008 to express serious concerns with the proposal to close both Beeches and Stratton post offices in Cirencester.

Beeches was particularly singled out because there will be large scale residential development in the area and because a huge number of representations were received from local people, making use of the form that local Conservative Councillors had distributed.

Added to this was uncertainty surrounding the future of the Crown Post Office in central Cirencester which, reportedly, could well move when the current site is developed.

The Regulator said that a review would be initiated if Post Office Ltd should decide to close both branches.

The first stage of that review was a meeting between the two parties - and Postwatch caved in. A regulator truly without teeth.

Post Office Ltd then announced that both Beeches and Stratton Branches would close.

Beeches Councillor John Burgess said - This is unwelcome news for Cirencester residents. Their support has been a major factor in trying to persuade Post Office Ltd to accept that these closures would do huge damage to the community - this is a sad, sad day.

The day of action proposed at the Stratton public meeting by our MP, Geoffrey Clifton Brown, gave local people the opportunity to loudly demonstrate their views and this added weight to our submissions - which PO Ltd ultimately ignored.

Day of Action

The Day of Action began well. Opposition parties were invited to join in to make this an open event with no political overtones and the march in Cirencester was supported by many hundreds of concerned local residents.

Pensioners and people without access to transport in this rural area were much in evidence and there was a big turnout of Conservative Councillors and supporters together with opposition members following the band and celebrities organised by the Liberal Democrats.

Councillor Peter Braidwood said The people of Cirencester have responded magnificently to this threat to our local services - proving that there is huge local support for our local post offices.

Opposition Sour Grapes

What followed can only be described as sour grapes by the opposition who, finding themselves in a tiny minority, complained loudly to the local media that the Conservatives had hogged the march. Perhaps they did not notice that, at the front of the march, the wreath symbolising the death of Cirencester Post Offices was carried by two Councillors - one from each party.

Comment

This was a sad day for Cirencester and we have now lost all five of our sub post offices.

It should have been a time of unity to protect local services and not a publicity show for the Lib Dems

Home