EAST Hampshire District Council has been praised for being the first council to offer practical support to threatened rural post offices. Bridget Samuels, whose husband Sam is the sub- postmaster at East Tisted, said it was nice to feel that they were getting support from the district council. "It is very encouraging that East Hampshire councillors are prepared to take some positive action and if necessary put their hands in their pockets," she said. East Tisted is one of six outlets in East Hampshire expected to fall victim to Post Office Ltd cost cutting which will axe 62 branches across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and the replacement of nine others with an outreach solution. Branches facing the axe include Wield, Passfield and Petersfield (Durford Road), with services at East Tisted, Froxfield and East Meon due to be scaled down, with a loss of income which could also result in closure. Mrs Samuels said if the decision on January 4 is to force East Tisted into a partnership arrangement with a larger core office, the income from PO Ltd would fall from £8,000 per annum to just £1,040 – which would have a significant impact on the village store which is run alongside the post office. EHDC has pledged £70,000 to help keep village stores open. And, at an extraordinary meeting in Petersfield on Monday, councillors met representatives from local post offices and parish councils to discuss how this money could best be used. It would include practical support for stores immediately threatened by closure and a long-term strategy of working together to keep them open. EHDC leader Ferris Cowper explained: "Our strong concern is the impact on the local community of these proposed closures. "Local post offices and village stores are at the heart of rural life and we will do our best to keep them open. "We plan to use the £70,000 to engage a professional retail management consultant to work with the six stores to identify quickly what their issues are and to help them plan for the change. "If necessary, we may use some of the money to support the stores directly. "There is a sense of urgency about this because the post office's plans could take effect within the next couple of months." After the meeting EHDC lead councillor for economic development, Ken Moon, said that having assessed the viability of the six stores, the aim would be to identify ways to generate additional income, key to which would be to attract footfall. Ideas had included the extension of council and tourism services into village stores, the provision of broadband internet access and a special district postal service, run by EHDC, which would link with post office services in the towns. Another suggestion was that people could take over stores as community initiatives, or that local councils could enter a joint venture or take over village stores. Spurred on by concerns over the withdrawal of rural bus services and the need to reduce the carbon footprint, and by the impact of post office closures on the rural economy, Mr Moon believes that the only way forward is to think outside the box. He said: "EHDC has been lobbying Post Office Ltd vigorously but lobbying is unlikely to save those outlets under threat – it is unlikely to change its mind." And this, he said, left rural sub-post masters in a very difficult situation, with very little time to re- evaluate. "There will be one month's notice once the decision is made, after which they will see a large amount of income gone from their business – the challenge will be over how to fill the gap."
