I have to borrow cash to pay the staff and rent
WHEN Leena and Ramesh Dattani bought a village post office nine years ago, they thought they were realising a dream to own their own business.
But amid spiralling financial pressures, the couple are now on the brink of being forced to leave the business that they adore and which serves as a ‘lifeline’ to elderly customers.
Mrs Dattani, 37, was forced to borrow money using her credit card to pay for rent and staff costs at the branch in Yateley, Hampshire, over the past two financial quarters.
She said: ‘If that happens again I will have to hand in the keys to the Post Office and say, “I can’t do this any more”. But they will happily say, “OK, no problems”.’
The postmistress said ‘unacceptable’ contractual changes introduced by the Post Office mean the family effectively earn as little as 6p over three hours during a quiet spell.
‘How on earth are we supposed to survive?’ she said. ‘We are not even keeping our heads above water.’
Mrs Dattani, the former regional director for a supermarket chain, and her 43-year-old husband bought the branch when they lost their jobs during the financial crash.
She said: ‘Ramesh’s dream was always to have his own business and in our naivety we thought that taking over a post office was what to do.’
She now travels 40 miles each way from the family’s home in West London to run the business with both her children attending school in the locality.
‘Yateley is a brilliant community and we are a part of that,’ she said. ‘People who come into post offices are not just your customers, they become your friends. The last thing I want to do is leave. For a lot of elderly customers, we are the only lifeline that they have.
‘They come out once or twice a week to get their pensions and we are the only conversation that they have.’
She added: ‘It is more than a post office that you are taking away. But if things carry on the way they are I don’t foresee us here in 12 months’ time.’