Closure letter...five months after doors are shut
Post Office sends advisory
A local councillor received a letter from the Post Office advising of the temporary closure of its Crieff High Street branch - five months after the facility ceased.
The Strath capital was left with only one outlet for postal services after the branch at 39 High Street stopped operating in May.
The Post Office cites “operational reasons” for the closure.
St rat h e a r n w a rd member Stewart Donaldson received the letter from Post Office network operations mana g e r, Gra ham Turnock.
The document, seen by the Herald, states: “I can assure you that we are working to resume Post Office services at Crieff and I would like to apologise for any inconvenience this temporary closure may cause to people locally.”
Mr Donaldson said: “It doesn’t tell us anything we didn’t know. And yet the fact that it has taken the Post Office very nearly five months for this notification to be sent out says a lot. The temporary closure of the Post Office at 39 High Street from May 5, and the fact that this then turned into a permanent closure, is now history.”
The PKC councillor continued: “The privatisation of our postal services has failed to bring benefits to the public. Moreover, it was a sell-off that hopelessly undervalued the assets of the Post Office.
“Not only was there a loss to the public purse. Members of the public have had to suffer the closure of yet more post offices, and final collection times for mail earlier and earlier in the day. It means that in many smaller communities a first-class stamp now in effect means a two-day delivery time.
“Still that ’ s rather quick compared to the five months it has taken this missive to reach its destination!
“Also, their comment that ‘we believe email is the most effective way for us to communicate with you..’ somewhat undermines what the Post Office is all about.”