Leader of Hounslow Council and Chiswick MP ask for urgent talks over Post Office closure

Image: Chiswick Post Office on Heathfield Terrace ‘temporarily closed’

Andy Slaughter MP and Cllr Shantanu Rajawat express their “deep concern” at impact of Post Office closure on residents

The MP for Hammersmith & Chiswick Andy Slaughter and the Leader of Hounslow Council Cllr Shantanu Rajawat have signed a joint letter to the Post Office voicing their ‘deep concern’ about the impact the closure of Chiswick Post Office is having on residents.

The Post Office on Heathfield Terrace closed at the beginning of May and a steady stream of people with parcels have turned up only to find a notice on the door saying it was closed ‘until further notice’.

Image: What to do with a large parcel when you find the local Post Office unexpectedly closed

The shop has been open and a man selling sweets and cigarettes there has fielded a barrage of questions from frustrated customers, telling people variously that the Post Office was closed ‘for maintenance’ and would be closed for a few days or a few weeks.

READ ALSO: Chiswick Post Office closed ‘for maintenance’

READ ALSO: Chiswick Post Office shut ‘for two or three weeks’

As the Post Office is closing branches and the future of Chiswick’s Post Office has been in doubt before, there is a natural suspicion that the closure might be permanent, but the Post Office have offered our MP and Council Leader no more satisfactory answer than they have given us.

When The Chiswick Calendar asked why the branch was closed the Post Office press office gave us this statement, which tells us no more than the sub-postmaster had put on the notice on the door:

“Chiswick Post Office is temporarily closed due to unforeseen circumstances. We are working hard to try to restore service as soon as possible.

“It is not yet known when the branch will re-open and we apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause.  In the interim alternative branches are Starch Green, The Vale and Acton Banking Hub for banking transactions.”

When pressed about why it was closed, they replied:

“We will not be expanding upon the statement provided.”

Closure of Chiswick Post Office follows that of Hounslow Post Office in December

The Post Office in Hounslow town centre also closed without warning, back in December, and is now closed permanently according to the Post Office website.

In December the Council Leader wrote to the Post Office then with MP for Brentford & Isleworth Ruth Cadbury to ask why no one at the Council had been informed and asked for an urgent meeting to discuss the impact of the closure on residents.

‘No satisfactory response was received, and the Post Office did not accept their offer of a meeting’, Hounslow Labour group said.

Images: (L) MP Andy Slaughter; (R) Cllr Shantanu Rajawat

The letter from the Council Leader and Andy Slaughter MP again calls on the Post Office to agree to urgent talks:

“As previously, this closure [in Chiswick] has taken place, with no prior warning to, or discussion with us, and at extremely short notice.

“Also – as previously – this does serious damage and causes upset to local communities who rely on the provision of these services.

“…We have very serious concerns about both these closures, the way in which the Post Office has carried them out, and how the Post Office is treating its customers and stakeholders.

“We are therefore calling once again for urgent talks to find a way to provide the proper support to the affected communities in Hounslow and Chiswick.

“As we have said before, we want to better understand the process and challenges and may also be able to provide the Post Office with insight or advice to help find a solution.”

Image: The shop is open, but the Post Office counter is closed

Questions about the future of the service

Cllr Rajawat said:

“One unannounced Post Office closure is an inconvenience. To close two looks like carelessness. Many residents in Chiswick and Hounslow rely on their local Post Office, and to close the branches without warning has left them with lots of questions and concerns about the future of the service.

“We went to great lengths to extend our support and inquire as to the reason for the Hounslow closure. We did not receive a satisfactory reply, and our offer of a meeting went unanswered.

“I now hope for a quick response to the issues we have raised, along with our two local MPs. Let’s work together on this and restore for residents the services on which they rely.”

Image: Cllr Joanna Biddolph and Conservative Group Leader Cllr Peter Thompson

Local councillors launch petition

Chiswick’s Conservative councillors have also been asking the Post Office for answers and have started a petition to keep the Chsiwick Post Office open.

‘We are pressing Post Office Ltd to re-open it without delay and would like to show that local residents and businesses want that, too.  So we have set up a petition,’ wrote Cllr Joanna Biddolph in an email to residents.

‘If you agree with the petition, please sign it – and please share it with others.  The Chiswick Post Office is used by people from Brentford and elsewhere, either because they don’t have a post office or because ours provides a wider range of services.

‘Please share it with people you think might use Chiswick Post Office.’

Chiswick Post Office petition

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