POST OFFICE PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS KENWYN STREET, UPLANDS AND MALPAS PROPOSED CLOSURES

A public meeting was called on Saturday afternoon at Tregolls School in Truro to discuss the proposed closures of Kenwyn Street, Uplands and Malpas post offices.

The meeting was called by local Post office campaigner Terrye Teverson who has spent months raising awareness of this issue. Mrs Teverson arranged a March from Carnon Downs to Playing Place post offices to highlight the future of the Post office in Cornwall. Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat Leader, had also backed her campaign when he came to Cornwall earlier this year.

Terrye opened the meeting which was also attended by local councillors Ros Cox, Maurice Valla,Rob Nolan and City councillor Mary Neale and the Chairman of the County Council Doris Ansari.

She said that the Post office had been started in 1660 and it was sad that under successive Governments it was being dismantled. Services had been stripped away but there had been no thought given to how its place in the community could be modernized with innovative thinking and lifting the deadhand of the State.

Terrye said, "One of the people who attended the meeting is an 85 year old pensioner and ex infantry soldier. He has acute disabilities and can walk only very short distances. He commented: 'What kind of consideration is the Government giving to war veterans and other OAP's who have given some of the best years of their lives in the service of their country and in many cases suffering the consequences of it in the advance years of their lives. The bus is not even routed by the Post office that is due to close.'

Other people raised the issue that it was possible to park outside both Kenwyn and Uplands Post offices which was a help to disabled people. Environmental concerns were also raised. Shutting smaller post offices meant people were less likely to walk to them and ended up in their cars going into Truro which already had major parking problems.