Post Office Closures In Teesdale

Dozens of sub-post offices across the North-East and North Yorkshire face closure after controversial new proposals made by the Post Office. The plans are the latest stage of the Post Office’s ‘modernisation’ programme, Network Change.

One of the areas worst affected by these new proposals is the largely rural area of Teesdale in County Durham. Under the new proposals six sub-post offices face closure. The sub-post offices that face closure are: Bolam, Boldron, Hutton Magna, Romaldkirk, Toft Hill and Winston. (see map) If the decision is taken to permanently close these branches, it could happen by June at the earliest.

If these sub- post offices were to close then it would be another damaging blow to the region. In many rural communities the post office is the only amenity available to the people who live there. If they were to close down then many residents, especially the elderly would be forced to travel further a field to carry out their business. A lack of public transport is also a problem for people who need to use post offices elsewhere.

The MP for Teesdale, Helen Goodman, plans to fight the proposals to close the post offices. Already a petition has been launched against the closures and residents have been urged to make their voices heard. She said: “I am very concerned about these closures. Post offices are one of our most cherished community amenities.” Mrs Goodman is also concerned that the proposals will see a reduction in the quality of the service and will leave people more dependant on car use.

Many of the small village shops that contain the sub-post offices will be forced to close as well. This is because they will be unable to support themselves without the post office. The planned post office closures are not the first and won’t be the last to affect the region. In the past 18 months the post office at Ingleton was forced to close and another post office at Bowes remains under threat.

One of the villages worst affected by the proposals is Hutton Magna. Under the guidelines set out by Network Change 95% of the rural population should be within 3 miles of their nearest branch. However, if Hutton Magna was to close the closest branch would be almost 6 miles away in Gainford. This problem is made worse as there is no direct public transport between the two villages.

The Post Office claim that under the new proposals 99% of the area’s population will either see no change, or will remain within one mile of an alternative branch. Plans are already afoot to help the communities that are set to lose their post office. Plans include using mobile libraries or using a third party premise such as pub as a post office.

The proposals are part of the Post Office’s plan to close 2,500 branches out of a current network of 14,000.