public+services+-+post+offices

=**- Save Our Post Offices!**= Local protest in West Green Road, at noon: Almost 100 people, mainly from nearby residents associations, took part in a protest outside the Post Office at 434 West Green Road, N15, their local branch under threat. People had made their own placards, flags and banners including: ''No Post Office Closures', 'Save Our Post Office', 'Residents Unite', 'Postman Pat Says: Save My Office', 'Join in - let's make a difference together' and 'No To Privatisation'. It was notable how many older people took part throughout. Participants chanted 'Save Our Post Office', blocked the road on a number of occasions, and then around 25 participants held an impromptu march to join the borough-wide rally outside Wood Green Library. The West Green Rd protest was called by members of Black Boy Lane Residents Association, Chestnuts Northside Residents Association, Edgecot Grove Residents Association, Milton Rd Willow Walk & West Green Residents Association, West Green Residents Association, and Woodlands Park Residents Association.
 * On March 29th, the last Saturday before the consultation deadline over the threat of Post Office closures, Haringey residents took to the streets for the final time to oppose Post Office closures, once again demanding 'Save Our Post Offices!' **



//

Part of the West Green Rd rally //

Borough-wide rally in Wood Green, at 2pm: Around 70 residents representing all the local campaigns to save the 7 threatened PO branches around Haringey held a rally on the concourse outside Wood Green Library and Post Office, High Rd, N22. They gathered petitions and held speeches despite the rain. Many of the West Green Rd placards, flags and banners had been brought along, with many additional ones brought from around the borough - including a large umbrella painted with 'Save Our Post Offices'.

The speeches consisted of reports and views from the local campaigns and residents associations, including many references to the importance of local services and facilities if we are to have sustainable and stable communities, and objections to the waste of money on wars abroad instead of greater resources for our public services. There were some additional thoughts from the Secretary of the Haringey Federation of Residents Associations, and a message of support from Cllr Bob Harris (Cabinet member for Adult Social care & Wellbeing) on behalf of Haringey Council. The rally was called by the Haringey Federation of Residents Associations and supported by members of the Haringey Forum of Older People, and a number of Councillors and political organisations.



//Haringey rally continues despite rain//

The day's protests were the last in a series of protests organised by local residents over the last 6 weeks. These included: local demonstrations at all the affected branches (including 200 residents at each of the protests outside the branches in Alexandra Park Rd and Crouch End); a number of well-attended public meetings; well over 5,000 residents signing protest petitions; and at least 10,000 leaflets being distributed in local areas.

// ' Over the last 6 weeks Haringey residents have responded magnificently to the outrageous threat of Post Office closures. The well-attended local protests, public meetings, and the thousands signing petitions have once again demonstrated that people are angry that yet another public service is being deliberately run down. All over the country there has been uproar and we hope that this will force the government to withdraw the whole national closure programme, as they had to in 2004 after similar protests.' //

// 'The most positive thing to come out of this is the ever-growing strength of local residents associations and the borough-wide co-ordination we are building up. With more proposed closures looming on the horizon - this time by the Haringey Primary Care Trust to force local GP surgeries into 'polyclinics' - such neighbourhood-based campaigning is essential. Its up to all of us to fight for the needs of our communities, and to that end we call on all residents to join or set up residents groups in every street, neighbourhood and block of flats.' // - Dave Morris, Secretary of the Haringey Federation of Residents Associations



--

Save Haringey's Post Offices - speak out now! ** The following Haringey Post Offices are threatened with closure (February 2008):


 * 89 Weston Park, N8**
 * Ferme Park Road, N4**
 * 100 Alexandra Park Road, N10**
 * Salisbury Road, N22**
 * 7 Highgate High Street, N6**
 * 434 West Green Road, N15**
 * 87 Broad Lane, N15**

These threatened closures are unacceptable and we demand they be halted. We call on residents throughout the borough to speak out in defence of their communities, especially as it’s the most vulnerable who’ll suffer the hardest - including the elderly, disabled and those with kids.

This week 200 residents demonstrated outside the threatened Alexandra Park Road office and Haringey Council have condemned the closures. We will back local campaigns supported by RAs.

We enclose below - report of the Alexandra Park Road residents' protest - statement from Haringey Council - reports of the last campaign to save POs around Haringey in 2004.

In solidarity

Dave Morris Secretary, Haringey Federation of Residents Associations

Anger: Protesters gather to vent their fury at the planned closure of fhe post office at Alexandra Park Road, Muswell Hill

//Haringey Independent, 22.2.08//
 * ‘Don’t close our post offices’ **

Anger as protesters gather to vent their fury at the planned closure of fhe post office at Alexandra Park Road, Muswell Hill

Protesters turned out in force this week to fight the proposed closure of seven Haringey post offices.

The cull was announced by the Post Office on Tuesday as part of a national restructuring which could see 2,500 branches permanently closed by 2009.

On the list to shut are post offices at: Weston Park, Hornsey; Ferme Park Road, Crouch End; Alexandra Park Road, Muswell Hill; Salisbury Road, Wood Green, West Green Road and Page Green, Tottenham, and High Street, Highgate.

The plans, which could see the loss of one in five of London's 854 branches, will be subject to a six-week public consultation.

They follow criteria set out by the Government after a national consultation last year revealed that customer numbers were plummeting and post offices were losing £4 million a week.

But the proposals have been criticised heavily this week, with around 200 people turning out to protest at the Alexandra Park Road branch on Wednesday.

Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, pledged to fight the closures "tooth and nail". She said: "These offices are the lynch pin for small parades and their closure could be the death knell for small independent retailers who rely on these post offices as a draw for customers."

Tottenham MP David Lammy said he was "saddened" by the news. He added: "Post offices play an important part in the social and economic life of all communities.

"Dave Morris, of the Foundation of Haringey Residents Associations, urged residents to participate in the consultation. He said: "These closures are unacceptable and we demand that they be halted."

Anita Turner, Post Office Ltd's Network Development Manager for London, said: "We want to ensure everyone is aware of the proposed changes and able to give views on them."

The public consultation period will run until April 2.

To express your views, write to Anita Turner, Network Development Manager, C/o National Consultation Team, Freepost consultation team; email consultation@postoffice.co.uk; or call 08457 22 33 44.

Haringey Council press release - Tuesday 19 February 2008
 * Haringey unites against post office closure plans **

Haringey Council has condemned plans to close local post offices. Councillors voted unanimously at a meeting of Full Council on Monday 18 February to oppose Post Office Ltd's plans to close six branches in the borough.

Post Office Ltd launched a consultation today on the plans and the council is urging residents to give their views.

Under the proposals, the following branches would close: · 100 Alexandra Park Road, N10 · Ferme Park Road, N4 · Salisbury Road, N22 · 89 Weston Park, N8 · Page Green, 87 Broad Lane, N15 · 434 West Green Road, N15

Haringey Council Leader Cllr George Meehan said:

"This is an extremely important issue for Haringey. We are happy to stand shoulder to shoulder across the political divide in opposition to the closure plans. Post offices not only provide a focus for many of our communities, they also offer a lifeline to many residents, particularly older and disabled people. We will be lobbying Post Office Ltd to rethink these plans, but in the meantime I would urge residents across the borough to contact them and make their feelings known."

Press release 8th March 2004
 * REPORTS FROM THE CAMPAIGN IN __2004__ TO SAVE THREATENED PO BRANCHES **
 * Haringey Federation of Residents Associations**


 * RALLY DEMANDS ‘SAVE HARINGEY’S POST OFFICES’**

On the last Saturday (12-1pm, March 6th) before the end of the official ‘public consultation’ period over the future of 7 Post Office branches serving Haringey residents, 150 residents held a rally outside Wood Green Library/Post Office. The ‘Keep Them Open’ protest was organised by the Haringey Federation of Residents Associations - there were speeches from local residents groups, David Lammy MP, the Communication Workers Union and others…

The rally demanded that the fraudulent consultation exercise in Haringey be suspended (as it had been nationally) and that the £180m of public funds given to the Post Office to subsidise closures nationally (ie. to pay-off SubPostmasters) be channelled into keeping all local branches open.

7 branches serving communities around Haringey are, until Tuesday March 9th, the subject of public ‘consultation’ over closure proposals: Gorleston Rd, N15; Park Lane, N17; Lordship Lane, N17; Westbury Avenue, N22; Crescent Rd, N22; Philip Lane, N15; Colney Hatch Lane, N10. Thousands of residents have already signed local protest petitions, and there have been local protests including 100 residents marching in South Tottenham on February 14th.

At the 150-strong rally, there was an array of colourful placards and banners [eg. ‘Who Put The Con In Consultation?’, ‘People Not Profits’], speeches, people signing petitions (230 signatures in one hour), 1000 leaflets handed out, and chants of ‘Save Our Post Offices!’ to the backing of a samba band.

Dave Morris, the Secretary of the Haringey Federation of Residents Associations explained the background to the closures and gave credit to all those around the borough who had organised or signed local petitions, written complaint letters and organised local protests. He called for residents in every neighbourhood in the borough to get together to stand up for their rights and their communities.

Tottenham MP David Lammy pledged to back the residents’ campaign to save all the local POs facing the axe.

Erkan Gok, a postal worker and rep from the Communication Workers Union, accompanied by a group of Haringey postal workers, pledged his support, and told of how the profit-making mentality has spread throughout the Post Office and Royal Mail to the detriment of workers and the public.

Sammy Leggatt of the Robert Burns House Residents Association, N17, spoke about local anger and protests over the threatened closure of her much loved and much needed local Park Lane PO.

Simon Hester, from the Chestnuts Northside Residents Association, N15, explained how they’d organised a 100-strong local protest march against the closure of Gorleston Rd PO, and that this was only one of a number of issues in their neighbourhood where they were campaigning to support local services and facilities under threat.

Bruce Kent, a Haringey pensioner and former head of CND, said Post Offices were vital for all pensioners, and a key service and a focal point for local communities. Britain was the fourth richest country in the world, and had just spent over £5billion on an illegal and immoral war, so could well afford to support the local services that people need.

Alan Woodwood, of the Haringey Trades Union Council, said that local trades unionists backed the campaign, and were involved with a wide range of campaigns to defend local services and against privatisation.

‘In the last year only 4 out of the 210 London POs consulted over have been saved however, in the last month alone a further 5 have had the axe withdrawn.* This shows that the protests are having some effect. We demand the ‘consultation’ exercise in Haringey be suspended (as it has nationally), and the £180m of public funds given to the Post Office to subsidise closures be used instead to keep all branches open. The needs of residents and local communities should be the top priority in decisions about all vital local services, including Post Office branches.’ - Dave Morris - Secretary, Haringey Federation of Residents Associations




 * Uproar across the country leads to suspension of the national ‘consultation’ program**

Of the 210 London offices already ‘consulted’ over, 206 have since closed! This proves that the ‘consultation’ is a con. Thousands of PO branches around the country have been earmarked for closure, and there has been uproar everywhere. This has forced the Government to suspend the Post Office's entire national closure programme while a review of the methods used takes place.

But, in a major scandal, the Haringey closure program is continuing! The Haringey Federation of Residents Associations are demanding that the fraudulent ‘consultation’ be immediately suspended, are calling for increased local protests, and organising a rally in Wood Green on the last Saturday before the consultation period ends.

//“With 98% of the branches in the program up till now having been axed it’s clear that the so-called ‘public consultation’ is a fraud. We demand that the closures in Haringey are halted, as they have been nationally due to public outrage and protest. We call on residents throughout the borough to make a noise, and to defend our communities, especially as it’s the most vulnerable who’ll suffer the hardest - including the elderly, disabled and those with kids.”// - Dave Morris, Secretary of the Haringey Federation of Residents Associations



To the letters pages of the local press 27.6.04

It is good news that the Post Office branches in Park Lane and Colney Hatch Lane will continue to serve Haringey residents. Congatulations are due to those in the local communities who campaigned vigorously to keep such vital services running.

The borough-wide protests clearly had an effect - last year only 4 of the 200 London POs facing closure were saved. Although we'd liked to have saved all the seven under threat in Haringey, it was always going to be an uphill task with the determination of PO Ltd to close them, actively supported by the Government.

In recent weeks, there have been growing residents' protests and controversies over communities having the services and facilities they need. This includes youth clubs, meeting halls and cultural centres, adequate school places, play areas, parks facilities, and health and dental services. Residents are also increasingly having to oppose unnecessary and unpopular developments being foisted on them against their will.

The needs of local communities must come first. We call on all residents to join their local residents associations and action groups, to continue to raise their voices and to stand up for their interests together.

Dave Morris Secretary Haringey Federation of Residents Associations www.haringeyresidents.org