We had a major local involvement - Tonbridge, Kent - with the so-called Post Office consultation - including local councillors and our MP. The open meeting was well-attended, but the discussion bordered on farce. Hapless Post Office personnel implied that closures were essential for commercial reasons - but could not disclose if the local post offices were profitable or not, as this information was confidential. The audience was largely concerned with the social and community value of the two local post offices - but none of this concern seemed to fall within the criteria of the consultation. We were very much talking at cross-purposes. We now have to travel into town and often queue outside the inadequate central facility. Our main post office has long since been turned into a pub.
Why cannot government take account of social capital and value our institutions properly? Why does everything have to put into an over-simplified context of profit and loss? And why do we pay the Post Office chief executive a shed load of money (£3m with his bonus) for losing the service?
This website gives details of further demolition of Post Offices:
http://www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/content1?catId=57600693&mediaId=57600697