Working Class Community Action - Against threatened Post Office closures...
Kai Andersen | 25.02.2004 21:13 | Social Struggles | Liverpool
SLP activists Pat Goodwin along with West Derby CSLP secretary, Kai Andersen, went out to collect signatures on Communication Workers Union (CWU) petitions opposing the threatened closure of local post offices in Liverpool. We spent a couple of hours outside Old Swan Post Office mid day Tuesday 24th February and outside the Town Row Post Office in West Derby mid day Wednesday 25th, in total 18 post offices are under threat see the list below. The petitions were quickly filled in on what were two bitterly cold days.
The public were overwhelmingly in support, many expressed concern at the Labour Government's proposals, many welcomed the opportunity to fill in the CWU petitions and take CWU window posters to display and great level of dialogue ensued, one person in particular had stated she'd sent in three complaint letters this woman in particular showed us the poster outside Town Row stating that the West Derby Village post office is open on a Sunday and on week days from 6.30am, which is absolutely untrue it is the newsagent side of the post office which open those times, she quickly amended the poster with a pen we gave her.
We supposedly have approximately 8 weeks to try and change post office closure decisions. In West Derby village the Post Office is already subjected to huge queues outside it on pension/benefit payment days and the two threatened closures in Town Row and in Knotty Ash will put even more pressure on that village post office/newsagent this will 'encourage' those on benefits to take up the card accounts which will mean they then go to the bank further reducing the business of the post officers which has been the whole intention of arm twisting those on benefits to get their money paid into bank accounts. This will led to likely closure of shops around these post offices as people end up travelling further and then spending their money closer to other main post offices.
Many expressed concern, rightly I believe, whether petitions could change anything. Which immediately makes you think we need to take direct action, perhaps a city wide simultaneous sit-in of all threatened post offices, as many of the smaller sub-post office managers don't appear to be concerned themselves about the closures, the CWU however are doing their bit and we SLP activists hope to work jointly with them.
The list of post offices under closure are as follows:
LIVERPOOL:
Aintree, Warbreck Moor
Cockburn St, Brunswick
Cressington, Aigburth Road
Derby Lane, Wavertree
Easby Road, Kirkdale
Edge Lane
Gateacre, Halewood Road
Holt Road, Kensington
Knotty Ash, East Prescot Road
Lark Hill, Queens Drive
Lower Breck Road Post Office in West Derby Road
The Lyceum Post Office, Bold Street
Picton Road
Smithdown Road
Stoneycroft Post Office, Green Lane
Town Row, West Derby
Window Lane, Garston
Wavertree Post Office is being relocated from 20 High Street to 26 High Street in April
ST. HELENS:
Haresfinch
Leach Lane
Moss Bank
OTHERS:
Lydiate
Maghull Station
The meadows, Maghull
UNDER CONSIDERATION:
Blackbrook, St Helens
Knowsley Road, St Helens
Peasley Cross, St Helens
We supposedly have approximately 8 weeks to try and change post office closure decisions. In West Derby village the Post Office is already subjected to huge queues outside it on pension/benefit payment days and the two threatened closures in Town Row and in Knotty Ash will put even more pressure on that village post office/newsagent this will 'encourage' those on benefits to take up the card accounts which will mean they then go to the bank further reducing the business of the post officers which has been the whole intention of arm twisting those on benefits to get their money paid into bank accounts. This will led to likely closure of shops around these post offices as people end up travelling further and then spending their money closer to other main post offices.
Many expressed concern, rightly I believe, whether petitions could change anything. Which immediately makes you think we need to take direct action, perhaps a city wide simultaneous sit-in of all threatened post offices, as many of the smaller sub-post office managers don't appear to be concerned themselves about the closures, the CWU however are doing their bit and we SLP activists hope to work jointly with them.
The list of post offices under closure are as follows:
LIVERPOOL:
Aintree, Warbreck Moor
Cockburn St, Brunswick
Cressington, Aigburth Road
Derby Lane, Wavertree
Easby Road, Kirkdale
Edge Lane
Gateacre, Halewood Road
Holt Road, Kensington
Knotty Ash, East Prescot Road
Lark Hill, Queens Drive
Lower Breck Road Post Office in West Derby Road
The Lyceum Post Office, Bold Street
Picton Road
Smithdown Road
Stoneycroft Post Office, Green Lane
Town Row, West Derby
Window Lane, Garston
Wavertree Post Office is being relocated from 20 High Street to 26 High Street in April
ST. HELENS:
Haresfinch
Leach Lane
Moss Bank
OTHERS:
Lydiate
Maghull Station
The meadows, Maghull
UNDER CONSIDERATION:
Blackbrook, St Helens
Knowsley Road, St Helens
Peasley Cross, St Helens
Kai Andersen
e-mail:
aokai@tiscali.co.uk
Homepage:
http://groups.msn.com/SocialistLabourPartyLiverpool
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