Protest against closure of Rhos-on-Sea post office

Sep 4 2008 by Richard Evans, North Wales Weekly News

OVER 100 residents turned out in Rhos-on-Sea to object to the closure of two post offices in the village.

Residents were encouraged to write in support of post office branches at Church Road and Llandudno Road in Rhos which have been proposed for closure as part of the Government’s cost-cutting plans.

A meeting at Rhos-on-Sea’s scout hut on Church Road was organised by David Jones MP, also attended by AM Darren Millar and local councillors.

A second meeting in Colwyn Bay at St Paul’s Church regarding the closure of the post office at 123 Abergele Road last week was less successful, with around a dozen in attendance.

However the matter was discussed by councillors at Colwyn Bay Town Hall on Monday where councillors voted to write to the Post Office and demand the town’s large post office is again reopened, or to maintain existing services.

Cllr Phil Edwards proposed the Post Office suspend the closure of the post offices under threat until the old Crown service at the sorting office on Prince’s Drive is reopened.

Speaking after the public meetings Cllr Edwards said: “What I’ve asked the Post Office to consider is to retain all the current sub-post offices in the Colwyn Bay area until they reopen the main post office on Prince’s Drive.

“There isn’t a main post office in Colwyn Bay any more. They have the building already because the sorting office is still there. All they have to do is reopen the post office counter and invest.”

Speaking at the town hall, David Jones said small towns and villages were being slowly eroded.

“We’ve got rural communities which have had the stuffing knocked out of the them,” he said. “School and post office closures are going to be the death knell for these small communities.”