Post offices face the axe

The government announced last week that one in six Sussex post offices will close within the next two years as part of a nationwide cull of about 2,500 outlets.

It is not known which branches will face the axe or when it will fall.

But the threat to the network from trade and industry secretary Alistair Darling has cast a shadow over all the 15 branches in the urban area of Bognor and five in the villages around Barnham.

Probably the longest serving local sub postmaster is Keith Hellyer with 21 years at the Felpham branch at the junction of Summerley Lane and Felpham Road.

He said last week's news offered little hope for any post offices.

'The rural ones seem to likely to be the ones to go first but I wouldn't be surprised if the closure of one of the four of us at Felpham, Summerley, Middleton and Elmer is sneaked in among the programme of closures.

'They will select which one of us they think should go. There are so many things about this that we just don't know,' said Mr Hellyer.

'We don't have concrete information about this at all. We are as much in the dark as the general public.

'Anyone who wants to sell their post office can't do anything. We are just in limbo at the moment and nobody wants to buy either.

'All of us are struggling. It is a matter of survival of the fittest. Some of us are bound to go under.'

Walberton sub postmaster Stephen Cleall said fearful customers had been bombarding him and his wife, Tracey, with questions about the future of their branch in Maple Parade in The Street.

'We don't know what is happening,' he said.

'This business is my livelihood. If it closes down, I will go bust.

'A lot of my customers are concerned that we may be closing. We are a long way from Barnham and Yapton, if that happens.

'Many of the people who come in here are elderly and they don't have transport. So, they would find it very difficult to go anywhere else.

'They've got bank accounts, for which they can use the post office, because they can't get into Bognor or Chichester to go to their bank branches.'

Mr and Mrs Cleall took over the village post office last June and deal with a steady flow of customers all week.

They would like to be sure if they are going to continue to do so.

'It would be nice to know whether it's a yes or no for us to stay so we can plan for the future,' Mr Cleall said.

'Hopefully, in the next few weeks we will know what is going on.'

A series of local area reviews are to take place over the next 18 months looking at the future provision of post offices.

Fears about the future of post offices have been expressed by the county council cabinet member for the environment and economy.

Cllr Louise Goldsmith said: 'The obvious concern is that these closures will greatly affect small rural communities, of which we have a great many in West Sussex.

'The village post office is vital for many residents, particularly the elderly, who are unable to travel to a post office further away.

'They can form the heart of a community and we should be doing all we can to protect them.

'We need to examine the detail as it emerges and we will be taking part in the next round of consultations. Possible solutions could include looking at where services can be combined locally, such as being incorporated into a village hall, and possibly running as a social enterprise for the good of the community, but we will look at every option to help our rural communities.'