Birmingham Mail punishes the Government and Post Office Ltd
The Post Office/Government decision to ignore pleas to extend its meagre six-week consultation period over the closure of dozens of Post Offices in Birmingham is a disgrace.
We asked - in a petition backed by 7,000+ readers - that the powers-that-be 'Think Again on Post Office Closures', engaging community leaders in in-depth discussions to ensure that the right decisions were made so that our communities were not further fractured.
We and our readers knew that the closure programme would go ahead, but we demanded the right of locals to play a real part in carefully planning exactly where and how deep the cuts would be.
As our report today tells, we and our readers have been snubbed. Click here for the story.
Yes, a single Post Office on the long list has been 'saved'.... and well done to readers who fought that particular battle. But the need for proper, meaningful consultation has been ignored. Six weeks for a programme of cuts that affected the everyday lives of hundreds of thousands of people?? Post Office Ltd and Government claims that they would listen have been proved a sham.
As a result, the Birmingham Mail will be carrying out the promise we made two weeks ago, and the following statement will be published in our paper - and on this blog - for the long-term:
'This notice marks the fact that the Labour Government and Post Office Ltd in August 2008 ignored the pleas of thousands of Brummies to have proper, meaningful consultation on the proposed closure of scores of Post Offices in the city. This arrogant act will never be forgotten in Birmingham.'
We did warn 'em. And only the resumption of real, meaningful consultations will change our mind.
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Steve Dyson - Blog from the Editor on recent issues and events.
Just like the Northern Ireland consultation - a minor tweak, but no real change to the overall expected result.
Does modernisation and harsh economic reality only apply to the newspaper industry?
The Birmingham Mail campaigns for the public. The Post Office is a public service, mainly funded through taxation. The closure programme is reality... the campaign always recognised that. But the six-week 'consultation' period was not long enough to allow for meaningful consultation. We wanted the Government to prolong that so that proper consideration could be given to each and every branch AFTER speaking to MPs, councillors and other community leaders. This, we hoped, might prevent the wrong offices from closing, avoiding the furhter fragmentation and damage of our communities. The refusal to accept this plea means there was no time to assimilate crucial information in a six-week period over the summer months when so many people were away. The 'consultation' was therefore a sham... something that politicians of all colours agree on. The public were snubbed, insulted. We will not let the Government or Post Office Ltd forget this.
Here's a word of advice from someone who took part in the last sham ' consultation ' trying to overturn PO closures a few years back.No one listens.....no one does.It is just a complete waste of everyones time as in the main they close them anyway.
"and well done to readers who fought that particular battle."
I'm assuming that you are point at Kings Norton Post office on the green?
I'm also assuming that a formal petition was given in this area by the local councilors and that in whole your campaign had no bearing on the matter and that the councilors petition was the reason that the office was saved, well done check your facts first please.