Post Office report on Comberton Hill slammed

2:30pm Wednesday 3rd September 2008

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A BUSINESS consultant has slammed a Post Office report justifying the proposed closure of Kidderminster’s Comberton Hill branch.

The post office has been earmarked for closure as part of national cuts and a six-week consultation period is being carried out until October 7, to gather residents’ responses.

A report has been produced by the Post Office, which analyses the services the Comberton Hill branch provides and compares it to nearby post offices in Burcher Green and Kidderminster town centre.

Phil Morris, who lives in Comberton Hill, said the report contained a number of “factual errors that were materially misleading to officials who will base their decision solely on this information, rather than personal familiarity with the location”.

He explained: “The report states there are steps at the entrance to the Comberton Hill branch. This is not the case.

"There are no steps at the entrance and this statement is therefore misleading to those people who read the report and who are unfamiliar with the physical premises.

“It also states the nearest bus stop is 450 yards away. This, therefore, would mean that the nearest bus stop is the length of three football pitches away from the branch. This distance is not correct and is again misleading to anyone reading the report who is unfamiliar with the locality.

“I estimate the distance between the Comberton Hill branch and the nearest bus stop to be no more than 30 metres, which is less than the distance between Burcher Green and its nearest bus stop, which is quoted as 110 yards, or 100.58 metres.”

Mr Morris said he also felt the report did not accurately represent the shops and attractions located near to the branch.

He went on: “The reference to the 'additional retail environment nearby' states that there is a supermarket, a fast food outlet and an antiques shop in the nearby area. This is accurate only in as far as it goes.

“It could state that Kidderminster train station - the main entrance to and from Kidderminster town for people using public transport - is directly opposite the Post Office. It would therefore accurately reflect the high volume of people who pass the Comberton Hill branch.

“Other businesses which attract large numbers of people into Comberton Hill are the Severn Valley Railway, six fast food outlets, the Magistrates Court and a veterinary surgery. The list goes on.

“It is also pertinent to mention that Comberton Hill is a main artery road for traffic in and out of Kidderminster.

“The report claims that all branches where changes are proposed have been visited by members of Post Office staff. If this is the case, how have such material inaccuracies arisen?”

Mr Morris explained he did not think the report was “deliberately misleading” but that “perhaps the due care and diligence that should be afforded to such a document had not been present”.

He said he believed “a campaign which brings every element of the community together as a single united entity” was needed to fight the proposed closure.

He added: “What would not help is for the community to fragment into different stakeholder groups and each group to then mount its own small scale campaign.”