Jerome has expressed his outrage at the Post Office’s decision to close their Fakenham branch and replace it with a temporary service.
Commenting Jerome said: “For the last few weeks I have been in touch with the Post Office every few days requesting updates regarding the status of our local post office on Millers Walk. Until today they have assured me that they were confident they would be able to retain a full service. However, I have just received the below from their senior management:
***Start of post office email***
“I am writing to you to provide you with an update on matters at Fakenham – please accept my apologies that this has come so late in the day, but we have been working till the eleventh hour to try to achieve a positive resolution in this case.”
“I am very sorry to have to tell you that the current service will temporarily close on 20 January. Unfortunately, a number of factors, including some insuperable legal barriers, have now made it impossible to maintain services at the current location. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to customers in Fakenham.”
“I want you to be in no doubt that we have made every effort to avoid this temporary closure and, indeed, we were hopeful that we would be able to keep Fakenham Post Office open beyond 20 January.”
“Over the past two years, we have pursued all possible avenues to keep the Post Office at its current site since our current franchise partner gave notice of their decision to stop running the Post Office. We have left no stone unturned, seeking solutions which have involved both permanent and temporary Postmasters.”
“The closure at the current site is, unfortunately, now unavoidable and as a result we have now stepped up our plans to provide a temporary solution so that customers in Fakenham still have access to essential Post Office services whilst we continue to look for a permanent solution.”
“In the first instance, we will be introducing a mobile Post Office service to the town, but we are exploring the viability of more substantive temporary measures as we know this is far from a satisfactory alternative for our customers in Fakenham.”
“The mobile service will begin on 23 January and between 1 and 4pm will be based at the market square. Customers are encouraged to use alternative branches nearby, which include Little Snoring, Great Ryburgh and Holt.”
“I will of course update you when there are further developments but, in the meantime, I would ask you to continue to work constructively with us to find a new retail partner who will be able to take on the Post Office and restore services for the long term.”
***End of post office email***
“The Post Office is a large organisation more than capable of organising a temporary replacement service, particularly when they have had two years in which to plan it. So, the decision to provide a service only between 1-4pm is a commercial choice. It is outrageous that a town of the size and importance of Fakenham should be treated with such disrespect. I will not let this lie and will continue to pursue the Post Office until we get an acceptable resolution.”
