John Redwood

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Possible Post Office closures

Last Wednesday John Redwood met Gary Grange and Mike Dalton from the Post Office to discuss the possible closures of Barkham and London Road sub Post Offices.

John Redwood said he would need to know public reaction from the people making up to 400 visits a week to Barkham Road and up to 750 to London Road. He was keen to stress, however, that if the Post Office was to have any chance in persuading Wokingham people this was a good idea they needed to make better arrangements for alternative provision.

The main office in Broad Street, Wokingham, is already very busy. It needs more than seven counter places, and the accommodation for vans, lorries and sorting staff is old and inadequate. John suggested they moved the sorting activity to a new location in better premises with good road access, and expanded the shop whilst modernising it. The back area could be redeveloped for a more suitable purpose and cash released from the project.

John Redwood said: ‘If the Post Office is to close these two offices it needs to ensure the current incumbents are happy with the compensation and settlement, and there is proper alternative provision. Constantly cutting back the network and the staff is not the way to build a profitable and successful business.’