Agenda item

This report advises Members of the Government’s proposals for the future of the Post Office Network and asks them to consider a response to the consultation process.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the report be approved as the basis for the Council’s response to central government, subject to the wording in the final letter being agreed with the Leader of the Council, but that the following refinements to the thrust of the Officer report be accommodated in any reply:

a)Q1. Issues & Challenges:  Add at end of 2^nd paragraph: ‘The economic importance of Post Offices to other nearby small businesses and amenities should be recognised.’

a)     Q3. Access Criteria:  Replace with: ‘The proposed Access Criteria appear to have been drawn up with the decision to close 2,500 POs in mind rather than recognising any social or community need. It is not clear why radius rather than population density or social need is used as the principle criteria for determining closures.  The proposed access criteria for existing developments conflicts with that required for new housing developments- the Y&H Regional Spatial Strategy states that new housing should be built within 10 minutes walk (about 600-1000m) of local services in urban areas and 20 minutes (1200- 2000m) in rural areas. This is considerably less than the proposed access criteria of 1 mile and 3 miles respectively. It is not clear why existing communities should be provided with a lower level of service than new developments. Particularly in rural areas where public transport is often less available and frequent than in urban areas, the impact of traffic congestion also needs to be taken into account when considering Post Office closures.’

REASON:      To ensure that the Council’s response reflects Members’ views and the importance of local post offices to City of York residents.

Members considered a report which advised of the Government’s proposals for the future of the Post Office Network and asked the Executive to consider a response to the consultation on these proposals.

On 14 December 2006, the Trade and Industry Secretary had announced a new strategy for the Post Office Network.  An investment package designed to preserve the network had been announced, involving investment of up to £1.7bn and including proposed new access criteria to ensure continued access to services in rural communities and deprived urban areas.  The consultation paper stated that there would be up to 2,500 closures over an 18 month period, but there was no information as to where these would be.

The report set out some initial comments around the seven questions included in the consultation paper.  Members were asked to consider these and any initial observations they wished to make..  All Council Members would be invited to submit observations to be considered when preparing the Council’s formal response to the consultation, which must be submitted to the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) by 8 March 2007.

Members commented on the importance of post offices in keeping town and village centres alive, reducing the social isolation of elderly people and cutting down on car travel, thus contributing to the sustainability agenda.  Comments were also made on the arbitrary nature of the differentiation between urban and rural post offices of and the way in which post offices had been selected for closure on previous occasions.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the report be approved as the basis for the Council’s response to central government, subject to the wording in the final letter being agreed with the Leader of the Council, but that the following refinements to the thrust of the Officer report be accommodated in any reply:

a)Q1. Issues & Challenges:  Add at end of 2^nd paragraph: ‘The economic importance of Post Offices to other nearby small businesses and amenities should be recognised.’

a)     Q3. Access Criteria:  Replace with: ‘The proposed Access Criteria appear to have been drawn up with the decision to close 2,500 POs in mind rather than recognising any social or community need. It is not clear why radius rather than population density or social need is used as the principle criteria for determining closures.  The proposed access criteria for existing developments conflicts with that required for new housing developments- the Y&H Regional Spatial Strategy states that new housing should be built within 10 minutes walk (about 600-1000m) of local services in urban areas and 20 minutes (1200- 2000m) in rural areas. This is considerably less than the proposed access criteria of 1 mile and 3 miles respectively. It is not clear why existing communities should be provided with a lower level of service than new developments. Particularly in rural areas where public transport is often less available and frequent than in urban areas, the impact of traffic congestion also needs to be taken into account when considering Post Office closures.’

REASON:      To ensure that the Council’s response reflects Members’ views and the importance of local post offices to City of York residents.