POST OFFICE

Page 1 | 2 | 3
 

Dozens of post offices in the county are facing closure. The Post Office has announced the first 180 branches it has earmarked for closure due to the current 14,000 network losing £4m a week. Consumer watchdog Postwatch said closures were bad news but it accepted the current network was unsustainable. A six-week public consultation is about to start on plans to close 2,500 outlets by the end of next year. Consultations will eventually be held in all affected areas before the final decisions are made.

Derbyshire post offices under threat
Abbey Street, 17 Abbey Street, Derby
Ashbourne Road, 130 Ashbourne Road, Derby
Bonsall Hollies Farm, Uppertown, Bonsall Matlock
Breadsall, 2 Rectory Lane, Breadsall
Carr Vale,32 Main Street, Bolsover, Chesterfield
Church Gresley, 35 Market Street, Church Gresley, Swadlincote
Edensor, The Post Office, Edensor, Bakewell
Egginton, The School House, Church Road, Egginton
Heage, The Windmill Inn, 213-215 Park Road, Heage
Heage Road, 133 Heage Road, Ripley
Higham, Crown Inn, Main Road, Higham
Hillstown, 30 Nesbit Street, Bolsover, Chesterfield
Kirk Ireton, Barley Mow, Kirk Ireton , Ashbourne
Leabrooks, 69 Main Road, Leabrooks, Alfreton
Mansfield Road, 102 Mansfield Road, Alfreton
Mansfield Road, 164 Mansfield Road, Derby
Mansfield Road, 88 Mansfield Road, Heanor
Market Place, 16 Market Place, Ashbourne
Marston Montgomery, 2 Thurvaston Road, Ashbourne
Matlock Bank, 83 Smedley, Street East, Matlock
Moorhall, 12 Moorhall, Bakewell
Newton Solney, 16 Main Street, Newton Solney, Burton-On-Trent
Nottingham Road, 111 Nottingham Road, Alfreton
Openwoodgate, 4 Kilburn Lane, Openwoodgate, Belper
Pear Tree, 157-159 St Thomas, Road, Pear Tree, Derby
Roper Avenue, 113 Roper Avenue, Heanor
Shelton Lock, 211 Derby Road, Chellaston, Derby
South Wingfield, 11 Inns Lane, South Wingfield, Alfreton
Stanton By Dale, School House, Stanton By Dale, Ilkeston
Starkholmes, 133 Starkholmes Road, Matlock
Westhouses, 1 Alfreton Road, Westhouses, Alfreton
Wilmorton, 707 London Road, Derby

(Source: BBC News, Oct/07)

Back in the 1950s, there was a government organisation called "The General Post Office". It was a blanket organisation for:

* Royal Mail (who delivered letters and parcels)

* Post Office Telephones (landline phone provider

* The marine radio stations (Portishead, North Foreland etc)

* Martlesham research station

* The railway telephone branch (not the same as Beritish Railway signalling division)

* Post Office Telegram services

* National Savings

* Post Office savings bank (both deposit schemes, not money transfer systems)

* Post offices were the retail outlet for mail, for the payment of social benefits like child benefit & the old age pension and the handling of driving licences and car taxes. You could pay your income tax there and buy national insurance "stamps".

Later the government invented the Giro bank, a publically owned clearing bank which used post office counters for public access. Nowadays we have:

* Post Office counters Ltd (the retail operation, including foreign currency, the two saving schemes, and a sort of bank. They still do car tax and driving licences, and pay pensions to people with magnetic cards and no bank account)

* Royal Mail (who deliver letters)

* Royal Mail parcels (who deliver broken things in crushed boxes)

And that's about it. All the other stuff has been sold off!

In a bold move, which merges technology with tradition, the Post Office has launched its new Internet service with the firm promise that all emails will be delivered the day after sending. Managing Director, David Smith. said, "In launching our ISP, we are capturing the quintessential qualities that the public has come to recognise from a nationalised provider. We are so confident of our service that I can categorically say that even if your email is sent after 5:30pm, we guarantee its delivery the following day, if not first thing in the morning, certainly by lunchtime. Well let’s say teatime just to be on the safe side. That is, of course, provided that the next day is not a Sunday or a public holiday."

He continued, "In the usual manner we are able to deliver packages of all sizes, and if the recipient is not logged in, we promise to leave a simple email giving details of where they can collect their attachments. Unless they look fragile, in which case we’ll just go to their house and chuck them over the gate. Customers will have full online access and be able to shop in the usual way. Our joint venture with catalogue retailer Argos is promising to deliver the same standard that High Street shoppers have relished for many years. At busy times, the internet shopper will be given a number allowing them to visit their chosen website within half an hour of going on line. And, on top of all this, our shopping service will be available, at no extra charge, on Sundays between the hours of 10am and 4pm."

To differentiate itself from the crowded internet market, the Post Office will charge a set amount for each email sent, offering first and standard class prices for the service. BBC’s Technology Correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones said, "This is a truly innovative pricing structure but they have been rather coy about delivery times. I called them last week and they promised to respond by email straight away, but I have yet to receive a reply." Mr Smith finished with a plea for customers and said, "There is always a rush at holiday times, so we recommend that all customers email early for Christmas, especially if they are sending large attachments abroad." (Source: News Biscuit, Aug/11)

<<< Prev