Last Post
at the Mall SHOPPERS in Maidstone’s Chequers Mall came to a standstill while ex-service- man Gary Possiter played the Last Post on Remembrance Day. A two-minute silence was observed at 11am.
The mayor, Cllr Eric Hotson, read the Kohima Epitaph: “When you go home, tell them of us and say, For their tomorrow, we gave our today”.
Anger over four post office closures
Continued from page one the day and pay the money but it was no good.
“There were other assets available. For ex- ample, there were other properties we have the freehold of that we offered them secu- rity of, but they went for a property where we are only the leaseholder. “We begged and pleaded in every way possible but they had their eye on bank- rupting my father without even letting him know.” The family, under Mr Sawhney’s father’s
name, has owned Staplehurst Post Office for over 10 years and managed post offices for over 30. It operates sub-post offices in Chart Sutton, Harrietsham and Holling- bourne, which have also closed. The Post Office was already consulting
users of the three sub-post offices on a plan to reduce their operating hours. Mr Swahney added: “We are concerned
about the community as we have a lot of customers we can no longer serve. There are businesses who can’t pay in their money and elderly people who can’t travel else- where to pick up their pensions.”
Village bobby gives lessons
in policing PUPILS at Marden Pri- mary School got a taste of policing in a visit by local bobby PC Gary Shaw. Youngsters from the
Sea Horse and Turtle classes got to try on vari- ous bits of police uni- form as well as a better idea of what police offi- cers do after a talk from PC Shaw.
As the Downs Mail went to press, Mr Sawhney was hoping he could arrange a High Court hearing to prove that the bank- ruptcy was “unjust” and should therefore be annulled. In this event, he claimed it would only take a few days to get the busi- ness back up and running. A spokeswoman for Post Office Counters
said the company had been unable to gain access to the post office premises as it did not own them, and a search for a temporary sub-postmaster had drawn a blank. She added: “The only assurance we can
give is that we are doing everything we can to resume the service as quickly as possi- ble.” Mr Sawhney added: “I have spent two
years bringing the post office up to scratch and I’d be very upset for someone else to come in and take over. We have put so much money into it.” Borough Cllr Eric Hotson said he was be- coming frustrated by the lack of response from Post Office Counters. “We have a lot of old people who use the
post office to get their pensions. A lot of these cannot drive, so getting to Headcorn
or Cranbrook is not convenient. It is unac- ceptable for a village this size not to have a post office. “The property freeholder, Pauline Mitchell, is fighting to get it open. She is a property owner of some significance in this village and is desperate for it to open, not just for the income, but because she recog- nises there is a major facility missing.” Fellowward Cllr Richard Lusty said: “We
are quite disgusted at the way Post Office Counters have behaved. This is not the peo- ple’s fault. We are a very aged population and they are just telling us to go to Marden, which has no bus to get there, or Cranbrook. If you are a pensioner without a car it is dif- ficult.” Glen Pearce, the manager of Martin Mc-
Coll newsagents, said: “Our business does all of its banking at the post office so I am having to go elsewhere to do it. I have been transporting some of my elderly customers to other post offices so they can get pen- sions and fuel allowances.” Cllr Mike FitzGerald, borough member for
the Chart Sutton area, said: “It has greatly affected the users of the Chart Sutton post office and the shop because they have to go elsewhere. I find it unbelievable that all the outreach provision serving the needs our communities can be put on hold by the Post Office. “We are already fighting the
loss of hours of opening and the uncertainty of the service for local business. We can tell the public nothing because we have no idea if and when ‘nor- mal’ service will be resumed. “Whatever the issues for the postmaster there should be some action one can take in an emergency to keep the post of- fice providing a service.”
6 South
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