Warwickshire News Mine

Officers from Warwickshire’s district, borough and county councils will be arranging to meet with Post Office officials to see how closures can be avoided.

Leader of the County Council, Councillor Alan Farnell said:

“Warwickshire County Council has been in consultation with the Post Office Ltd since the summer of 2007. We have already signed an agreement with Warwick Post Office for them to relocate into our ‘Warwickshire Direct’ one stop shop, which will be opening soon in Shire Hall, Warwick. 

“We have informed the Post Office about the range of outlets available which could deliver post office services including local libraries and one stop shops and the kind of services which can be provided through them.”

Warwickshire County Council Chief Executive, Jim Graham said:

“We don’t want to see essential local services such as post offices close, which is why we want to talk to Post Office Ltd and examine how we can avoid post office closures.

“We want post office services to continue to be delivered through existing outlets such as our one stop shops and libraries, but we are still in consultation with the Post Office, district and borough councils on these proposals.”

Commenting on the relocation of Warwick Post Office to Shire Hall, Post Office Manager and Postmistress, Paul and Bala Jaspal, said:
“We are looking forward to our partnership with Warwickshire County Council in the ‘Warwickshire Direct’ one stop shop. The new Warwick Post Office is going to be a bright new commercial outlet for staff and customers alike.

“We’d like to thank the county council for letting us be part of this exciting project, especially as this is the first one in the county. Through this arrangement, we have secured the life of the Post Office in Warwick.

“The Warwick public can be assured that their Post Office is here to stay, providing them with much brighter, better services in a professional environment. Every service currently on offer will be retained or enhanced. Until the move takes place, it will be ‘business as usual’ at our current location.”

Councillor Peter Fowler, the County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Performance and Development, said:

“With the opening of the new ‘Warwickshire Direct’ one stop shop at Shire Hall, which will bring both county and district council services together in the town centre, it makes perfect sense that the post office, which is also offering a vital service to the community, is located alongside it.”

‘Warwickshire Direct’ at Shire Hall is the latest phase of a partnership project involving Warwickshire County Council and Warwick District Council.

It follows the success of ‘Warwickshire Direct – Kenilworth’, a similar centre that has benefited thousands of residents in Kenilworth since it opened in October 2005. ‘Warwickshire Direct – Whitnash’, another joint venture involving the county and district council in collaboration with Whitnash Town Council and Warwickshire Police’s local Safer Neighbourhoods team, was officially launched in December on the premises of Whitnash Library.

‘Warwickshire Direct’ facilities have also been opened elsewhere in the county. The county’s second one stop shop, ‘Warwickshire Direct - Bedworth’, was officially opened in November 2006 and ‘Warwickshire Direct – North Warwickshire’ opened at North Warwickshire Borough Council’s headquarters in Atherstone in April 2007.

‘Warwickshire Direct – Nuneaton & Bedworth’, a partnership with Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council, officially opened at Nuneaton Town Hall in October last year, and ‘Warwickshire Direct – Southam’, the county council’s first one stop shop in partnership with Stratford District Council, will open at Southam Library at the end of this month.

Link to WCC