Catherine McKinnell, MP for Newcastle North, has hit out at Post Office plans to move their Gosforth branch from Gosforth Shopping Centre/High Street, to a new location on Salters Road, following a public consultation on the proposal.

Catherine – who submitted her opposition to the move in July – has written again to Post Office Limited to reiterate her concerns, urging the Post Office again to reconsider the proposal. The Newcastle North MP has also questioned the point of the consultation process, give the scale of local opposition to the move.

Her letter states:

‘I am…extremely disappointed by this decision, particularly as very few of the concerns I outlined have been adequately addressed, or even addressed at all.  

‘To remind you, the Post Office – in its current location – is a key ‘draw’ to Gosforth High Street and Shopping Centre, a vital local retail hub. Moving the Post Office from this site will only damage Gosforth High Street.

‘The current Post Office is extremely accessible on foot and by public transport, with ample parking nearby. This is certainly not the case for the proposed new location and will be considerably further away for all of my Gosforth constituents (all of whom live to the North or East of the High Street).

‘Many people use the current Post Office because it is on Gosforth High Street, and I therefore reiterate my strong concerns that people simply will not use the Post Office in its proposed new location, particularly as it is close to no other significant shops/facilities, with people having to go out of their way to use it. 

‘There are a number of bus services which travel along Salters Road, passing close by to the new location, but it is important to know whether you have investigated the actual routes of these services? None currently service the area to the North of Gosforth High Street, and a very limited number service the area to the East.

‘Of course, the concerns I have expressed are shared by many others.  As you state in your letter, around 270 individual representations were received as part of the consultation, as well as a petition with over 3,000 signatures. The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) were so concerned about the proposal that they escalated it to the highest possible stage of the formal review process that applies for such restructuring proposals….

‘…I…would ask what the point of a consultation process is which so clearly fails to address the numerous concerns that have been raised about a proposal, and are held by several thousand residents?

‘I would also be grateful if you could outline why the Post Office refused the CAB’s formal request to re-open the recruitment process to try again to seek a replacement operator closer to, or on, Gosforth High Street.’

Catherine also commented:

‘I am seriously concerned about the potential impact of this move on both the High Street, and on the future viability of the Post Office service in the Gosforth area.

‘The Citizens’ Advice Bureau has made very clear that this decision will adversely impact some of the most vulnerable members of the community, who rely on the Post Office for a number of services – and I couldn’t agree more.

‘The Post Office must now work with the local community to find a suitable alternative if we are to retain a viable, accessible local Post Office service for Gosforth residents.’

Click on the images below to read Catherine’s response to the Post Office’s decision: