Support Your Local Post Office

iceburn

Whatever your relationship with your Local Post Office branch, it needs your support NOW. This doesn't only apply to small Sub Post Offices, but all Post Offices everywhere.

I'm sure every E-bayer will agree that without a means of posting mail, their E-bay life will end.

Without going into the political reasoning behind possible closures, can I just ask that ALL E-bayers sign the petition issued by the National Federation of Subpostmasters. This petition can be found in Post Office branches or by going to,

http://www.petitiononline.com/POCA/petition.html

Thank you.

greenpixey

Found the petition in my local post office and have signed my name...

Rikki

I've signed it too.

angelcake

although my post office geezer is an !!!!!! I am still gonna sign

jaffa30

I signed the local one too.

frivolous_fay

Would anyone care to summarise? I don't know what this is about and I'm too lazy to click ;-) ... and I'm on a slow connection.

soolin

I signed at mine as well and have also asked if there is any other services I can use that push their 'put through' rates up, but they reckon if the ebayers they have can keep up the numbers that would be great.

Soo

iceburn

frivolous_fay wrote:

Would anyone care to summarise? I don't know what this is about and I'm too lazy to click ;-) ... and I'm on a slow connection.

Hi Frivolous.

What it is in summary is this. You can say the norm now post offices are generally supported by ebayers posting their items. (increase their postage sales.) And POCA (Post Office Card Account) users who take their weekly pension/benefit out of the post office who than use the money to pay some bills (at the post office maybe), shopping (at the post office maybe or nearby shops.) (Hence why also if a local Post Office close quite often the nearby businesses also close after a while cause of loss of passing trade.) But DWP has announce that they will not renew its POCA contract with POL from 2010. Not only that they are trying some underhand tatics already like telling some old dear that from 2 weeks time their money will be stop and going to their bank. Which as you can imagine worries them, but also mess with their patterns. Also we had this before with "direct payment" few years ago, which resulted in about 3000 offices closure. People are now saying if they wanted in the bank they would of chose that. Anyway if POCA is indeed remove, quite a lot of offices will become unviable and hence close. Therefore whereas at the moment you only say walk down the road to do your ebay transcations. Now you would have to travel 60 miles (no joke this time round if POCA go it is expected upto 10,000 offices will go!) These offices are the one generate profit, the crown offices do not, hence of the 4,000 left, that will rapidly drop after the 10,000 are close which are supporting them. (Likewise if a lot of ebayers stop using their Post Office again the result would be a same cause you can say it is like a 30% POCA, 30% Ebay and than 40% add-on products but which are fed from POCA/Ebay users.

About what you can do to support your local office, well one thing is did you know you can do quite a lot of banking transcation through the post office now. For example Lloyds TSB, A&L, Barclays, CO-OP, Cahoot, Smile, can put despoit cheques & cash, whilst these banks plus others like Nationwide, some basic accounts, etc. can withdraw cash. Doing these transcations at your local post office generate transcations which they get paid a small fee which help pay the bills that keep it open. (Cause postmasters do not get paid a salary, they get paid in just transcations, and from that they have to pay everything, staff costs, lighting, water, gas, council, business loan, etc. Also if say they underchage you by £10 for Postage it is not Post Office Ltd who have to pay, it is the postmaster.) Also a lot of postmaster do not get time to go on holiday, cause they have to work Monday to Sat 9am to 6pm. And if they go on holiday for couple of weeks they have to find a relief to cover them which cost upto £100 a day!

yorkieboy_3

Hi Fay

In a Nutshell, the Government is planning to end the Post Office Card Account (POCA). This account allows people without Bank Accounts to access their Pension / Benefits at the Post Office. This account is also used by Thousands of Pensioners who live in areas with no Banking coverage or just want to keep their money seperate from other money. The POCA also gives Post Offices vital income, income which, if lost would certainly mean the end for many thousands of Post Offices.

iceburn

That is a better summary than my Yorkieboy :-). (I am no good in summarise things. as my comittee members when read my minutes can tell you) :-)

wendym

When our local branch was under threat I signed the petition, wrote to my councillors and my MP, everyone rallied round, and................they closed it.

There is an alternative branch still open, but it's not on a bus route, and it's a brisk 20 minute walk if you're in good health.

The death of the POCA will be the excuse this government wants to carry out another round of closures.