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| Response to the Post Office consultation on the proposed closure of the Page Green Post Office at 87 Broad Lane, Tottenham. |
| Tuesday, 01 April 2008 |
Please find below David Lammy's letter to the Post Office in response to plans to close Page Green Post Office.
Ms Anita Turner
Network Development Manager
Post Office Ltd
c/o National Consultation Team
FREEPOST CONSULTATION TEAM
01 April 2008
Dear Ms Turner,
Re: Response to the proposed closure of the Page Green Post Office at 87 Broad Lane, Tottenham, London, N15
I am writing, as Member of Parliament for Tottenham, in response to your consultation on the proposed closure of Page Green sub-post office on Broad Lane, Tottenham (N15).
Consultation Process
I would first like to register my deep concern at the length of time allowed to respond to this consultation. In an area where we are working so hard to regenerate, and in which the closure of Post Offices will have a significant impact on the local community, I hardly think that six weeks has been long enough to have a meaningful dialogue with the community about the proposed changes. I also deplore the ‘gagging’ of individual sub-post masters who have been threatened and prevented from organising and speaking out against these closure plans.
It is testament to the hard work of local ward councillors, residents associations, as well as a sustained effort by myself, my staff and by Haringey and Enfield Assembly Member Joanne McCartney, that we have managed to compile such a thorough case why Page Green Post Office should remain open.
As you will see from the enclosures to this submission, some 215 local residents from the ward signed our petition against the closure (as well as 13 people who signed online), and 94 people submitted individual letters – many of which are extremely impassioned indeed.
I trust that each signatory to these petitions will be given full weight in your consideration, and not treated as single deputations. I urge you to see, as I do, each signature as an individual expression of the heartfelt passion the community has for its Post Office.
The Post Office Business Case
Based on the Post Office’s transaction figures for Page Green of between 1500–1999 a week, I am surprised by the decision to earmark this branch for closure. Compared with many of the other branches across London and elsewhere in the closure programme this customer usage figure is far higher than many of the other post offices earmarked for closure. It is located in thriving stationers and gift shop and when I have visited the branch it has been very busy. I feel that these usage figures provide an ample customer base to sustain a branch if the proper investment and support were provided.
Given that the West Green Road and Seven Sisters branches already have between 2,000-2,499 and 1,500-1,999 transactions a week respectively, and in my experience are already heavily used, often with long queues; expecting them to absorb the overflow from a closed Page Green Post Office, whilst still offering an acceptable level of service, seems ill thought-out without a substantial degree of new investment and staff to boost capacity.
I also feel there has been a lack of transparency and information when it comes to the rationale behind the Post Office’s decision. The pack I was sent as an MP was cumbersome and across London serious questions have been asked about why certain branches have been chosen for closure. I would like to know whether or not Page Green is actually losing money. Given the high number of customer transactions a week I believe that it is viable and providing a valuable service that could not be guaranteed at the alternative branches.
I am also concerned about the negative impact on local residents who already use other local post offices branches and already complain of the long queues and poor service. I feel that there is a compelling customer service case for keeping Page Green open and that there should be no moves to close the branch without a full assessment of the impact on existing customers of all local branches and what steps would be taken to ensure extra capacity is in place.
Page Green Post Office
The proposed closure of the Page Green sub-post office on Broad Lane concerns me deeply. I have had regular meetings with the post master at the branch, and have been in regular consultation with local ward councillors and residents’ groups. He told me that he was passionately committed to his business investing hundreds of thousands of pounds over the last few years and fearful of the void he would leave in the community if the post office were to close.
Broad Lane is the only branch in the local area – indeed, the only branch in the whole of N15 - which has a collection point for undelivered post and parcels. Should it close, people from the local area will have to travel all the way to Finsbury Park to collect their parcels.
Furthermore, the Finsbury Park depot closes at midday, which will severely inconvenience many local residents who will be at work during the branch’s opening hours. Given the increased use of mail order and internet shopping in recent years the convenience and security of collecting these packages locally cannot be overstated. The piles of Amazon packages waiting for local residents at the post office powerfully illustrated this valuable and unique local resource.
Social Demographic Case
As you may be aware, Tottenham is one of the most deprived constituencies in the country.
Page Green Post Office is surrounded by sheltered housing, which caters for elderly and vulnerable people in my constituency. Given the number of elderly and disabled people in the area alone, I think the closure of this branch is unacceptable.
Tottenham Green ward is ranked 22nd out of the 625 London wards in terms of deprivation, based on average Super Output Area (SOA) level measure of deprivation. Tottenham Green also has the 27th highest unemployment rate in London.
Some 17.4% of residents in Tottenham Green ward have long-term limiting illness, making it one of London’s most vulnerable wards.
These statistics are important because of the profile of post office customers and the disproportionate impact Post Office closures have on the most vulnerable people in society. For instance I have discovered that 74% of customers in deprived urban areas use the Post Office at least once a week, compared to 51% nationally, and 56% in rural areas. Up to 35% of people living in urban deprived areas do not have access to bank accounts, so use Post Offices to pay bills and access cash.
Business Case
The business structure of Haringey is characterised by small and medium enterprises – and in Tottenham Green, there are only 15 businesses which employ 20 or more people. Tottenham Green Post Office is vital to these shops and services for business and trade.
Indeed, when I consulted with shopkeepers and business holders in the small parade of shops in the vicinity of Page Green Post Office, many were deeply concerned at both the subsequent loss of passing trade and the increased administrative strain resulting from the closure of the Post Office.
Post Offices in urban areas are also much more likely to be an anchor for the local economy, with those people accessing cash at their post offices spending it in the surrounding shops. This is especially true in Page Green where I fear the closure could have a knock-on effect on local businesses, especially given that many residents would be forced to travel out of the area to access their money, not returning to spend their money in local shops. This has an added effect given the high number of ‘financially vulnerable’ people i.e. those having difficulty in managing their finances and without access to bank accounts, credit cards, internet access etc in the area.
I would expect that given all these factors and the recognition by the Post Office of the role it has in such urban communities that a full impact assessment is made of the consequences on the lives of local people of this branch closure.
Physical Geographical Case
Given these factors, I am deeply concerned by the alternative branches which have been proposed by your organisations as alternatives to the Page Green branch. I will consider each in turn.
I hope, when considering the following, that you will take into account the fact that 56.2% of households in Tottenham Green have no car. The majority of residents in the ward are therefore reliant on public transport, to access local shops and resources.
1. 108 West Green Road
A: 434 West Green Road Branch (earmarked for closure)
B: 108 West Green Road Branch (proposed alternative 1)
While the distance from Page Green Post Office to 108 West Green Road is only 0.5 miles, the 15 minute bus journey is by no means direct (involving a walk at either end), which, according to a number of the elderly and vulnerable residents I have spoken to during this consultation, is a daunting challenge.
You will see below that the journey involves crossing one of the busiest interchanges in the area, at Seven Sisters:
2. Seven Sisters Road
A: 434 West Green Road Branch (earmarked for closure)
B: Seven Sisters Road Branch (proposed alternative 2)
This alternative branch, while again a distance of only 0.8 miles, involves crossing two very busy interchanges – right across Seven Sisters, and at St Ann’s Road. The bus journey to this Post Office branch is some 21 minutes:
(some maps have been removed here that are included in the original letter)
Furthermore, individual responses from local residents demonstrate that the significant increase in journey time to go to a local Post Office is a major concern.
One resident summarises that:
“…there are a lot of elderly and frail people living around Page Green post office and nearby roads, who will find the trek to other post offices further a field very difficult, as older people find walking too far a great strain, and they also feel vulnerable due to rising crime etc in the area…”
Another resident adds:
“I use the Post Office every week as there is no bank near me to draw my pension- I am 85 years old and would have great difficulty getting on a bus.”
As such, I believe the substitute branches suggested by your organisations to be unacceptable alternatives to the Page Green branch.
Redevelopment and Regeneration
Finally, Tottenham Green and Tottenham Hale are areas which are undergoing rapid (and much-needed) redevelopment. The new residential development at Tottenham Hale – the ward which borders Tottenham Green, and from where many of my constituents come to use the Page Green branch – will include over 2,000 new homes, and a corresponding number of new residents and businesses.
Clearly, this will have a significant impact on the burden of local postal services in the area – an impact which your organisation appears not to have taken account of. If the closure of the Post Office is considered on user numbers alone, then this new development should play an extremely important factor in the decision.
Views of Local People
I have since 19th February when the Post Office announced their closure plans worked alongside the community, councillors and local businesses, leading the campaign to fight for the post office in Page Green. The response has been clear and overwhelming in all responses I have received opposing the closure.
I am submitting alongside this response: a local petitions containing 215 names, responses from the Haringey Independent Newspaper Campaign, a response from the Haringey Federation of Residents Associations, online comments and quotes and testimonies of local politicians and residents.
It is clear from these responses, that residents from Tottenham Green and Haringey are united in their anger and opposition to the Post Offices’ proposals. I hope that these hundreds of residents will be listened to and their views taken into account alongside the arguments I have submitted above. I also know from talking to local residents and coverage in the press that many many more people have also sent individual responses to the consultation.
Community and Political Support
The response to this consultation from all sections of the community and across the political spectrum has been overwhelming and I include a few illustrative comments below.
“I can not in good conscience support these plans. Post offices are a vital community resource as well as being a place where people can gather together. Post offices have a vital place in the social fabric of our communities; Haringey Labour will fight to make sure this is retained."
Haringey Leader Councillor George Meehan
“I am extremely disappointed at these proposals. The post office network plays vital role in the social and economic wellbeing of local communities, and I feel very strongly that this must be protected.
“I am especially concerned that access criteria designed to protect vulnerable customers in remote or deprived urban areas has been raised from ½ mile to a mile – I led a London Assembly Health and Public Services Committee investigation into the future of post offices and made it clear to the government that the current access criteria should remain in place.”
Joanne McCartney AM
Haringey Council also organised a special scrutiny commission to investigate the Post Office’s plans. I understand that the Post Office attended the event on 26th March and I hope that the OSB response will be taken fully into account.
"The meeting is an opportunity to gather solid evidence of the impact of these planned closures on local people, and make sure that all that evidence is taken into account when final decisions are taken.
"The post office will put their position and take questions, and there will also be a chance for residents who are directly affected to let us know what closing particular post offices will mean for them."
Cllr Gideon Bull, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee
“You only have to spend a few minutes queuing up in the post office to see how well used it is. I am especially concerned given the whole of N15 has to come here to collect their parcels and undelivered mail. Under the Post Office’s proposals, local residents could soon have to travel all the way to Green Lanes on two buses to get their mail!”
Cllr Bernice Vanier (Tottenham Green)
“I spoke yesterday to an elderly resident from a nearby sheltered housing scheme who’s worried about having to make the journey to another post office — already they suffer from having long queues and people are used to the friendly service they receive here.”
Cllr Isidoros Diakides (Tottenham Green)span>
“Local businesses also rely on Broad Lane and with the likely increase in population with developments at Tottenham Hale; losing this branch will massively increase the queues at other local branches.”
Cllr Harry Lister (Tottenham Green)span>
Post Closure Plans
I am committed to fighting for the future of the post office in Page Green, however, I acknowledge that as a community we must look at the possibility of closure. I have very serious concerns about how the closure may be implemented and fear a rapid ‘slash and burn’ process. I would appreciate a detailed response if the closure is to go ahead on how it will be managed.
I have already voiced my concerns about the capacity situation at the proposed alternative branches. Furthermore, other post office branches across Tottenham and Haringey as well as local Banks and Building societies all suffer from long queues and access to free cash machines tends to be sparse.
It appears that the network coverage analysis undergone before this process started fails to take into account the impact of the closure on the rest of the network. I dispute the idea that telephone services or the internet can be a meaningful and viable alternative in Tottenham, especially given the levels of deprivation and age profile of the users of the Post Office in Page Green.
In conclusion, I believe the closure of the Post Office in Page Green would have a devastating impact on local residents, the local economy and the level of service offered by the Post Office across Haringey. I consider the plans, timescale and information offered during the consultation period to be unsatisfactory and that the alternatives proposed are far from sufficient to replace the branches we lose. I ask that my views and concerns as well as those of local residents I represent are fully considered and that where necessary answers are provided to our questions.
I ask that Page Green Post Office is kept open and that the Post Office invests in its future. Given that the campaign is still ongoing I would also appreciate the chance to feed in further information when I receive it and discuss this issue in person with you or a suitable representative.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
David Lammy
Member of Parliament for Tottenham
To read more about earlier stages of the campaign please click here.
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