Passionate Shrewsbury campaigners have criticised the Government’s “deplorable” post office closure programme, warning of the impact they would face if their nearest branch closed.
More than 100 people attended a public meeting last night to try to persuade Post Office Ltd not close the Greenfields branch. They questioned whether the company had up to date information about homes planned for the area.
More than 1,500 homes are to be built within one mile of the branch.
They warned of problems with public transport and the way their area was cut off when flooded - both of which they said would make it difficult to get to the town centre branch in WH Smith, which they said was hard to access and was already busy.
Campaigner Mary Johnson told Post Office representatives during the meeting at Greenfields Primary School: “Here we’ve got a very diverse community and I feel we’re being discriminated against.
“I know elderly people who have been unable to come up to the school. If they are unable to get to the school how are they going to be able to get into town?”
Henry Angel-Jones, of Berwick Road, said: “We have to look at the wider consequences and have to prevent Greenfields slipping the same way of many other communities that lose their facilities. Please, if you’re going to keep one place open, keep Greenfields open.”
Mohamed Shaheen, whose wife Rubbina is subpostmaster at Greenfields, criticised the “deplorable” closures, which he described as the “culling of mankind”.
He said the couple had put £80,000 of their savings into the business, which compensation would not cover.
Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski, who is meeting Midlands Post Office directors this afternoon, said: “I’m convinced that the Post Office is not aware of the extent of the house building programme in the area.”
Post Office representatives said Greenfields “loses money for Post Office Ltd”.
Network development manager Mark Partington said: “We have to make sure we have a sustainable network for everybody.”
By John Kirk
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