WH Smiths is not good enough for elderly and disabled of Cheltenham!
Following the successful county wide rally in Gloucester on 19.4.08, Save Our Post Offices campaigners will be outside WH Smiths in Cheltenham at 1pm on Thursday 24th April the opening day of it becoming the central post office to access its disabled access and the impact of the closure of the main post office on the elderly and disabled in Cheltenham.
Lawyers acting for Save Our Post Offices have alerted Glos County Council chief executive Peter Bungard to the council’s legal duty under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to take account of the impact of post office closures on the disabled and elderly. We believe moving the central post office to WH Smiths will restrict access and so make the keeping open of Hewlett Rd, Edinburgh Place and Woodmancote even more important.
Cheltenham resident Sydney Tavender representing St Dunstan’s Association for the military blind will be helping Save Our Post Offices with our assessments. Sydney says: ‘it’s a disgrace moving it to WH Smiths, it shouldn’t be on the first floor, there’s no escalator coming down, the lift is a goods lift at the back of the store and they’re doing it on the cheap by not paying what the old post office staff got.’
Contact Sydney on 01242 516827
Save Our Post Offices is appealing to those elderly and disabled who feel they will be severely affected by the closure of their local post office and feel WH Smiths is an inadequate replacement to contact Save Our Post Offices with their details. We will pass these on to Glos County Council for them to take account when formulating their plans regarding the replacement of any of the county’s post offices.
Save Our Post Offices also notes that Royal Mail director Richard Handover was chairman of WH Smiths until 2005 and now WH Smiths have the franchises for 76 crown post offices around the country.
Report of Rally in Gloucester Sat 19th April 208
Following the successful county wide rally in Gloucester on 19.4.08, Save Our Post Offices campaigners will be outside WH Smiths in Cheltenham at 1pm on Thursday 24th April the opening day of it becoming the central post office to access its disabled access and the impact of the closure of the main post office on the elderly and disabled in Cheltenham.
Lawyers acting for Save Our Post Offices have alerted Glos County Council chief executive Peter Bungard to the council’s legal duty under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to take account of the impact of post office closures on the disabled and elderly. We believe moving the central post office to WH Smiths will restrict access and so make the keeping open of Hewlett Rd, Edinburgh Place and Woodmancote even more important.
Cheltenham resident Sydney Tavender representing St Dunstan’s Association for the military blind will be helping Save Our Post Offices with our assessments. Sydney says: ‘it’s a disgrace moving it to WH Smiths, it shouldn’t be on the first floor, there’s no escalator coming down, the lift is a goods lift at the back of the store and they’re doing it on the cheap by not paying what the old post office staff got.’
Contact Sydney on 01242 516827
Save Our Post Offices is appealing to those elderly and disabled who feel they will be severely affected by the closure of their local post office and feel WH Smiths is an inadequate replacement to contact Save Our Post Offices with their details. We will pass these on to Glos County Council for them to take account when formulating their plans regarding the replacement of any of the county’s post offices.
Save Our Post Offices also notes that Royal Mail director Richard Handover was chairman of WH Smiths until 2005 and now WH Smiths have the franchises for 76 crown post offices around the country.
Report of Rally in Gloucester Sat 19th April 208
On Sat 19th April Cheltenham post office campaigner Carmela Walker Bishop joined others from Gloucester, Stroud, Dursley and Lydney, outside the Guildhall to hand in a letter for Barry Dare (Glos County Council leader) supporting what the council has done so far to develop a rescue plan for our post offices under threat from the government closure programme. A motion has been passed to ‘investigate’ a plan and a cross party meeting involving MP’s and councillors from around the county took place on 16.4.08 to discuss what the council could do, with talk of saving 5/6 post offices. But Save Our Post Offices believe much more needs to be done to produce a comprehensive plan covering all threatened post offices that the local community believe are vital to keep open.
The rally was addressed by:
Save Our Post Offices campaigner Carmela Walker Bishop (Cheltenham)
83 year Dolly Berryman from Podsmead (Gloucester)
County Councillor Brian Oosthuysen (Stroud East)
County Councillor Phillip McLellan (Barnwood)
Town Councillor Ronnie Harding (Dursley)
Save Our Post Offices organiser Chris Moore (Stroud)
County Councillor Roger Brown (Cirencester) sent his support but was not able to attend.
Chris Moore says 'The government are attacking our communities by closing our post offices and selling some to big business like WH Smiths but Gloucester County Council could put together a comprehensive rescue package for our condemned post offices where there's a will there's a way.'
Lend your support on this important issue by contacting:
Chris Moore (Save Our Post Offices campaign)
07810 732379 or chrismoore61@yahoo.co.uk
Chris Moore (Save Our Post Offices campaign)
07810 732379 or chrismoore61@yahoo.co.uk
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