FOLLOWING the decision to make Post Office Ltd open up its books to Essex County Council, James Arbuthnot, MP for North East Hampshire, has written to request that Hampshire has access to information concerning its post office closures. If Hampshire does succeed in gaining access to the records then it should become clear why the supposedly profitable post office counter at Passfield is being shut down. Furthermore, these crucial details could give Hampshire the information needed to keep further post offices from closing. Mr Arbuthnot's action comes following a recent decision by Pat McFadden, Minister of State of Employment Relations and Postal Affairs to order Post Office Ltd to reveal crucial information to Essex County Council. Mr McFadden is the postal policy and shareholder executive for Royal Mail and the Post Office. Essex is currently undergoing the formal consultation process on post office closures and its county council is now assessing the viability of financially assisting, and therefore keeping open, those post offices proposed for closure. Mr Arbuthnot told The Herald: "What most people can't understand about this process is that, on the face of it, Post Office Ltd has said that it wants to save money, but has then gone and closed what would appear to be profitable post offices. Passfield, for example, was rated as "gold" by Post Office Ltd themselves. "But at a consultation meeting Post Office Ltd were adamant that Passfield made a loss for the Post Office and cited commercial confidentiality as the reason for withholding access to their books. "I wish they had recognised that post offices are Government run and taxpayer-supported public services, not secretive offshore companies. "Now it seems that in Essex – where they are just beginning to name the post offices that are under threat of closure - the Post Office has been told by the courts to open its books to the county council so that the possibility of financial help can be considered. It strikes me that what can happen in Essex should happen in Hampshire too." Mr Arbuthnot's letter to Tim Nickolls, network development manager of Post Office Ltd was sent on January 23, and includes an urgent note from Richard Hardman, chairman of the "Keep Passfield Open Action Group". In his letter Mr Arbuthnot suggests that Mr Nickolls should retrospectively reconsider the decision not to disclose information in relation to Hampshire and, specifically, Passfield.
