Here's my latest exchanges with Post Office Limited on the closures issue. I am speaking further with City Council legal officers tomorrow.
My e-mail to Post Office Limited :
FAO Sally Buchanan
Dear Ms Buchanan
I am taken aback by Post Office Limited's "Area Plan Decision Booklet - North East, Tayside & Fife" in respect of Nethergate Post Office, Dundee.
Clear, specific, evidence was given to you about customer growth in the future. This is dismissed in one sentence - "Information was also received on several new developments being planned in the area."
There is absolutely no explanation as to how you dealt with this evidence and why you dismissed it. Please advise why.
I am taking further advice on this failure of Post Office Limited to properly deal with evidence presented to it.
I look forward to your response.
Best regards
Cllr Fraser Macpherson
Councillor for the West End
Post Office Limited’s reply :
Dear Councillor MacPherson
Thank you for your further email, also copied to Sally Buchanan, Network Development Manager. I have been asked to reply on behalf of Sally Buchanan, as Agency Correspondence Team Leader with responsibilities for network change.
It should be noted that there is a strict Code of Practice for network change consultations, which has been agreed with Postwatch, the independent consumer watchdog for postal services. Each local consultation is conducted precisely in accordance with the detailed terms of the Memorandum of Understanding agreed between Post Office Limited and Postwatch. This document can be viewed on our website under network change.
As I am sure you will appreciate, Post Office Limited has received a substantial response to the local public consultation in respect of the Network Change Programme and, unfortunately, it is not possible to set out in full all of the responses to local public consultation in the decision documents. Each decision document, therefore, contains a summary of the key aspects of the responses to local public consultation received by Post Office Limited in relation to each of the branches originally proposed for closure under the respective Area Plan. I can only apologise if this is perceived to be dismissing the detailed information provided by the City Council and would like to assure you this is not the case.
All responses received to local consultation, including your own representations and the points raised during the meetings attended by Post Office Ltd, are reviewed, considered and taken into account by the respective Network Development Manager, in this case Sally Buchanan, when making our decisions.
More specifically, I can confirm that as part of the final decision process, Sally Buchanan has included the following points:
That the Alliance Trust are due to open an extensive office near
Nethergate Post Office® branch employing 400 staff and that this may
potentially increase the customer footfall at. The branch
The new business units to be built locally
The new premises near the University in the Hawkhill area that have
recently been built that might put pressure on Ward Road Post Office®
branch.
Dundee’s growing games and media sector including companies such as
Tag games, Cohort Studios, Proper Games etc is located in The Digital
Media Park
In reaching her decision, many other factors are also considered, such as customer usage, proximity, relative size and fit to the Government’s national accessibility criteria as well as the other factors Post Office Limited has to take into account. We remain confident that Dundee Crown Office and Perth Road Post Office branch has sufficient capacity to cope with additional customers from the closure of Nethergate and also the new developments planned for the area.
Yours sincerely
Valerie Stanley
Agency Correspondence Team Leader
National Consultation Team
Post Office Ltd
And my response to that :
Dear Ms Stanley
Thank you for your e-mail.
I note what you write but would make clear that I remain extremely concerned that Post Office Limited has in no way explained what it did with the evidence of future increased Post Office usage at Nethergate and why it was insufficient to justify keeping Nethergate Post Office open.
You say that :
"I can confirm that as part of the final decision process, Sally Buchanan has included the following points:
That the Alliance Trust are due to open an extensive office near
Nethergate Post Office® branch employing 400 staff and that this may
potentially increase the customer footfall at. The branch
The new business units to be built locally
The new premises near the University in the Hawkhill area that have
recently been built that might put pressure on Ward Road Post Office®
branch.
Dundee’s growing games and media sector including companies such as
Tag games, Cohort Studios, Proper Games etc is located in The Digital
Media Park"
You do not indicate in any way what was done with the specific evidence I and other objectors gave you about customer growth. In my view, the future for customer growth at Nethergate Post Office made the case for keeping Nethergate Post Office open.
Please explain, in detail, why Post Office Limited considers this is not the case.
Best regards
Fraser
Cllr Fraser Macpherson
Councillor for the West End
FAO Sally Buchanan
Dear Ms Buchanan
I am taken aback by Post Office Limited's "Area Plan Decision Booklet - North East, Tayside & Fife" in respect of Nethergate Post Office, Dundee.
Clear, specific, evidence was given to you about customer growth in the future. This is dismissed in one sentence - "Information was also received on several new developments being planned in the area."
There is absolutely no explanation as to how you dealt with this evidence and why you dismissed it. Please advise why.
I am taking further advice on this failure of Post Office Limited to properly deal with evidence presented to it.
I look forward to your response.
Best regards
Cllr Fraser Macpherson
Councillor for the West End
Post Office Limited’s reply :
Dear Councillor MacPherson
Thank you for your further email, also copied to Sally Buchanan, Network Development Manager. I have been asked to reply on behalf of Sally Buchanan, as Agency Correspondence Team Leader with responsibilities for network change.
It should be noted that there is a strict Code of Practice for network change consultations, which has been agreed with Postwatch, the independent consumer watchdog for postal services. Each local consultation is conducted precisely in accordance with the detailed terms of the Memorandum of Understanding agreed between Post Office Limited and Postwatch. This document can be viewed on our website under network change.
As I am sure you will appreciate, Post Office Limited has received a substantial response to the local public consultation in respect of the Network Change Programme and, unfortunately, it is not possible to set out in full all of the responses to local public consultation in the decision documents. Each decision document, therefore, contains a summary of the key aspects of the responses to local public consultation received by Post Office Limited in relation to each of the branches originally proposed for closure under the respective Area Plan. I can only apologise if this is perceived to be dismissing the detailed information provided by the City Council and would like to assure you this is not the case.
All responses received to local consultation, including your own representations and the points raised during the meetings attended by Post Office Ltd, are reviewed, considered and taken into account by the respective Network Development Manager, in this case Sally Buchanan, when making our decisions.
More specifically, I can confirm that as part of the final decision process, Sally Buchanan has included the following points:
That the Alliance Trust are due to open an extensive office near
Nethergate Post Office® branch employing 400 staff and that this may
potentially increase the customer footfall at. The branch
The new business units to be built locally
The new premises near the University in the Hawkhill area that have
recently been built that might put pressure on Ward Road Post Office®
branch.
Dundee’s growing games and media sector including companies such as
Tag games, Cohort Studios, Proper Games etc is located in The Digital
Media Park
In reaching her decision, many other factors are also considered, such as customer usage, proximity, relative size and fit to the Government’s national accessibility criteria as well as the other factors Post Office Limited has to take into account. We remain confident that Dundee Crown Office and Perth Road Post Office branch has sufficient capacity to cope with additional customers from the closure of Nethergate and also the new developments planned for the area.
Yours sincerely
Valerie Stanley
Agency Correspondence Team Leader
National Consultation Team
Post Office Ltd
And my response to that :
Dear Ms Stanley
Thank you for your e-mail.
I note what you write but would make clear that I remain extremely concerned that Post Office Limited has in no way explained what it did with the evidence of future increased Post Office usage at Nethergate and why it was insufficient to justify keeping Nethergate Post Office open.
You say that :
"I can confirm that as part of the final decision process, Sally Buchanan has included the following points:
That the Alliance Trust are due to open an extensive office near
Nethergate Post Office® branch employing 400 staff and that this may
potentially increase the customer footfall at. The branch
The new business units to be built locally
The new premises near the University in the Hawkhill area that have
recently been built that might put pressure on Ward Road Post Office®
branch.
Dundee’s growing games and media sector including companies such as
Tag games, Cohort Studios, Proper Games etc is located in The Digital
Media Park"
You do not indicate in any way what was done with the specific evidence I and other objectors gave you about customer growth. In my view, the future for customer growth at Nethergate Post Office made the case for keeping Nethergate Post Office open.
Please explain, in detail, why Post Office Limited considers this is not the case.
Best regards
Fraser
Cllr Fraser Macpherson
Councillor for the West End