Cotherstone Post Office

The village post office in Cotherstone is to remain open, despite six other sub-branches of the post office being closed down across Teesdale. It is one of the few post offices in Teesdale to remain open after proposals were made by the Post Office to close 2,500 branches across the country.

Dorothy Christon and her husband Allen have run the post office in Cotherstone for 24 years. She believes that the post office is extremely important to the village. She said: “It’s really a place for people to meet within the village. Not only do we dispense pensions and let people pay their bills but we act as a bit of a social service as well. If somebody’s poorly we notice it’s not just about dispensing pensions.”

Teesdale has been one of the areas most affected by the decision to close branches of the post office. Mrs Christon believes that the decision is understandable as some of the post offices are used very little. She said: “I think it’s sad but it’s understandable if they are not used by the general public.”

The village of Cotherstone has around 550 residents and is ideally located in Teesdale. It has recently been voted among the top 20 most desirable villages to live in the country. House prices are well above the national average but a decision to close to close the post office could have a detrimental affect on house prices. Mrs Christon said: “Cotherstone is one of the most popular villages in the country to live in. It has two pubs, a shop and a post office. I think that there might be depreciation in the value of houses if there wasn’t a shop.”

As Cotherstone is a village with a strong demographic the Post Office has decided to keep the branch open. If the shop was to be shut down or was put for sale but could not be sold; then there would be other alternatives. Mrs Christon said: “There would always be some sort of post office facility in Cotherstone. It might be in the village hall two days a week or in a pub a couple of sessions a week.”

Mrs Christon believes that the blame to shut down the post offices should lie with the government rather than the Post Office. The government recently made a decision to pull out some of the subsidies that are used to keep the rural network of post offices running. She said: “I think that the Post Office is reacting to a decision made by the government. I think that the Post Office are trying their best to work to the criteria set down by the government.”

The MP for Teesdale Helen Goodman has been campaigning to save some of the post offices that are due to close. Mrs Christon believes that she is being slightly hypocritical as it was her government that put the Post Office into this situation. She said: “I think she’s being a bit hypocritical going out drumming up support when it’s her government who have put the Post Office into this situation.”