13801/10GAZETTE & HERALD: CHIPPENHAM residents have renewed their concerns about the fate of the town's central post office after it was revealed this week that Pewsham Post Office is to get the chop.

The Pewsham office is operated from the Tesco Express store on Pewsham Estate. Tesco inherited the outlet when it took over the One Stop chain of convenience stores two year ago.

The future of the main post office in Market Place, Chippenham will be revealed when the public consultation period ends on August 31.

The public have expressed their concerns since plans to merge the 55-year-old main post office with a new Spar convenience store were launched at the beginning of June.

The changes to the central post office are part of a national review by Post Office Ltd, which is intended to improve its trading position. The Post Office intends closing 3,000 urban sub post offices throughout the country, around a third of the total.

There are six urban post offices in Chippenham and the surrounding area and all are under review.

One man still going strong with the battle to save Chippenham's main post office is county councillor Paul Fox.

He has collected hundreds of signatures for the post office petition over the past few months and was disappointed to read in the Gazette that North Wiltshire MP, James Gray supports the revamp of the post office and thinks the campaign to save it is 'old fashioned and out of date'.

Coun Fox said: "I think it's a national problem and Mr Gray should be taking it up, not defending it. The public expect more of him than that.

"I was completely flabbergasted about what they proposed to do," he added. "It's very well used. I couldn't believe it. Of all the things they chose, we don't need another supermarket."

Coun Fox currently has 1,400 signatures from residents, adamant that the building should stay primarily a post office.

He said: "People who I talk to are disgusted. They didn't believe it at first.

"Are these many hundreds of local people who have signed the petition 'old fashioned and out of date' like Mr Gray said?"

"We only need to look at what happened in Calne, where the franchise was soon terminated by the new operator," said Coun Fox. "The business gave up. The old post office building is now empty and a completely inadequate replacement was provided in a nearby shop.

"You can't see what's on the shelves because there are queues of people everywhere. This must deter business from both the shop and the post office."

Coun Fox believes something more needs to be done to help save post offices from joining franchise agreements. He said: "If a well-used main town centre post office really cannot be made cost effective then perhaps the national policies need to be changed. The whole drift of Government policy is undermining the viability of the post offices."

Chippenham Town Council is inviting the Post Office to come and explain

its plans for the Chippenham branch, and will set up an extraordinary

public meeting according to town council leader Coun Sandie Webb.

Post Office Ltd had declined to attend the town council meeting when Coun Fox had planned to present the successful petition. But members are determined to hear what the Post Office has to say about its plans.

Coun Fox said: "They have just ignored the public and gone ahead with the changes anyway, in other places. At least we've tried. I'd feel worse if I had not done anything. I've got to make an effort.

"Chippenham deserves better. Chippenham deserves a main post office, which is primarily a post office. It is a growing town. It's important that people use the town centre and have everything they expect from it.

"I hope our MP will have a change of heart and represent the strong views of his constituents rather than congratulating the post office on their latest bright idea."

David Hide, panel chairman at Post Watch, the official watch dog service for post offices, said: "If there's going to be a long term future for the post office network at all, they have to make changes. We agree with James Gray here. Our interest is in maintaining counter facilities at the same level, or better than they already are.

"We're more concerned with the provision of the post office rather than who runs it.

"Royal Mail as a whole is facing financial pressures. The level of business at post office counters is declining rapidly.

"Nothing will change except who the post office is run by."