Bohemia Village Voice

Elderly will suffer as post office closes.

St Leonards Green Post Office in Springfield Road will close on March 11th. Post Office Ltd made the announcement at the end of January after a six week “public consultation”. Karen Aldridge, who runs Hercules Stores, where the post office is based, said, “We’ve got all the posters up. We’re just waiting for the 11th.”
The post office and its customers put up a brave fight, obtaining about a thousand signatures on a petition to keep it open. It is a particularly crucial branch, due to the high number of elderly people living in care homes in the vicinity, who will now have to struggle to get to a branch further away. Post Office Ltd do not see this as a problem, saying that there are two alternative branches within a mile. “I think they’d already made up their minds.” said Karen, “We opposed it. You’ve got to, haven’t you, just in case.” The post office at Salmons, White Rock, is also being axed, and the one at Butler’s Emporium in the Old Town is under threat. MP Michael Foster has called on the Government to investigate central costs imposed on branch post offices, which he says are cutting into profits and forcing closure.