August 10th 2008

Dear Editor.

Central MP Richard Caborn said that Post Office closures would not
result in services being affected. (The Star August 7th) This is not
true. He and his fellow Labour M.Ps. seem to have voted for closures
without looking in detail at the factors involved in the alternative
locations being proposed by PO Ltd.

These alternatives do not take into account the distances or gradients
involved in walking, infrequent bus services, the limited mobility of
some residents, the environmental impact of additional and longer
journeys or the impact on local businesses.

The proposal to close Crookes Valley Road PO means there is no longer a
Post Office on the 94 route as Walkley Post Office closed two years ago.
The alternative is a long walk down to Upperthorpe Post Office or a long
walk uphill to Crookes now that Weston Road PO is on the closure list.

There is a similar problem at Oakbrook Road Post Office which is at the
bottom of a long steep hill in Nether Green. The nearest alternatives
are Fulwood and Broomhill Post Offices. There is a half hourly bus to
Fulwood and it is walk up hill and a bus then back again to get to
Broomhill Post Office. Crosspool Post Office is about as far but up a
long winding road and there is no public transport.

Shalesmoor Post Office is a flourishing business and a hub of activity
for many local businesses in the Neepsend/ Penistone Road area. If they
close, local businesses will suffer.

MP Richard Caborn only has to listen to constituents to establish the
impact on services and lives. Will he and his fellow Sheffield MPs give
practical backing to the Sheffield City Council to keep these Post
Offices open and work to develop a new local network that gives these
pillars of local communities a secure future?

Cllr Bernard Little.