COUNCILLORS raised fears over the potential relocation of Farnham post office and closure of the town’s recycling centre during a full town council meeting last Thursday.

David Beaman, a Farnham Residents councillor representing Castle ward, said the move of the post office to WHSmith was “rather inappropriate” and hoped the council would take steps to “avoid this calamity”.

After the meeting, he said: “Transferring the postal service would only make economic sense if it is also proposed to move the postal delivery and collection centre away from this building to either another location in Farnham or possibly to a more distant location, which would obviously affect the quality and reliability of the overall postal service to residents of Farnham.”

Mr Beaman agreed to co-ordinate the town council’s response, which he said “will be in close co-operation with Waverley Borough Council”.

A spokesman for Waverley said: “Waverley Borough Council wants to ensure a sufficient post office function remains for the use of the community in Farnham. The council will make this clear and will be expressing its concerns as part of its consultation response.”

Fellow Farnham Residents councillor John Ward, who represents Shortheath and Boundstone, said: “A while ago we ran awards for the best businesses and best book of service for shops and things in Farnham. I would give WHSmith an award for the worst service and the worst shop in Farnham, I cannot think of a worse place for the post office to go.”

Mr Ward continued to share further concerns over Surrey County Council’s proposed closure of Farnham’s recycling centre, which he described as a “backward step” for the town.

He said: “It will increase fly-tipping, it will decrease recycling, it will be a retrograde step.

“I read it isn’t used very much. Well of course it won’t be used very much if you shut it three days a week.”

But he added that the tip was currently “an horrendous place to try to take your rubbish” and that watching “little old ladies struggling up those wretched, awful metal staircases carrying a load is just not acceptable”.

Similar opinions to those made by Mr Ward have been raised by the public, including Ben Cieslak who wrote on the Herald’s Facebook page: “If there are cuts and closures to these centres, the council will have to put up with fly-tipping.”

Sarah Patten added: “And how’s that going to help when the other recycling centres across the border will be charging out-of-the-area customers? I think they need to pop along to this ‘smaller, less-used centre’ and see how busy it is now, and that’s before the new houses are built and occupied.”

Katharine Smith stated that Surrey County Council needs to “sort out” its priorities, and Nina McGregor asked the council to “please go and find something better to do than removing vital community services”.

* Have your say on the council’s plans at surreycc.gov.uk/consultations.