Post office closures

[D.H]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8407879.stm

Post office closures 'hit services' in Argyll and Bute
Post Office sign
Consumer Focus wants the Post Office to address the concerns of customers

People in Argyll and Bute believe the closure of eight post offices in the area has resulted in poorer services, according to new research.

A study commissioned by Consumer Focus Scotland found there were longer queues in remaining post offices.

It also said people had access to fewer services with some abandoning the post office as they could not get to one.

The closures took place last year as part of the Post Office Ltd's Network Change Programme.

Argyll and Bute was one of the first areas of Scotland to be affected by the programme, which ran from 2007 to 2009.

'Negative impact'

The research report involved five focus groups with consumers at selected locations where post office closures had taken place.

It also included interviews with sub-postmasters at post offices expecting greater business as a result of closures elsewhere.

Trisha McAuley, interim director of Consumer Focus Scotland, said: "Local post offices are lifelines for thousands of people in communities across Scotland.

"The negative impact of the network change programme on service users in Argyll and Bute revealed by this report is of great concern, particularly if it reflects the experience of consumers in other parts of Scotland."

"We want the Post Office Ltd to act on our recommendations in order to ensure that the concerns of post office users are addressed, but also to help inform future changes in the post office network."