4 ‘at risk’ community-run Post Offices on the Isle of Wight will be saved from closure, if parish councils go ahead with plans to put more taxpayer cash their way. Inflationary pressures and a lack of footfall have seen stores and services in Godshill, Totland, Brading and Wootton lose money in recent years. Since 2011, Community Action IW has run the 4 not-for-profit Post Offices — through its trading arm, Island Community Ventures. The charity 1st took over Godshill when it saved the village store from closure and expanded with outreach services in Totland, Brading and Wootton. To cover its financial losses the organisation splits the costs with Godshill and Totland Parish Council, which each pay up to £5,000 a year. Now, Mike Bulpitt, the chief executive of Community Action IW, has reached out to the parish councils to see if each would be willing to pay more, upping its maximum contribution to £7,000. It would ‘share the burden of risk’ between the bodies, Mr Bulpitt said. He said it is very difficult to deliver financially viable Post Office services in rural areas with low population levels but they are still vital community services so sharing the cost helps keep them going. Mr Bulpitt said Community Action was well aware of the financial pressures on parish councils but if they were unable to commit to more funding then a decision would have to be made as to whether the Post Offices can afford to continue. Speaking at a meeting on Monday (8th January), Councillor Alison Child, the chair of Godshill Parish Council, revealed the results of a public consultation on the matter and said the response had been very positive in supporting the service so far. Cllr Child said:
“The shops don’t want to close down and don’t want to be losing money, the only trouble is the footfall has gone down and the prices are quite high. “So we need to help them because once the shop is gone, it is gone and we won’t get them back.”
The parish council is having a meeting with Community Action in the coming days to see if there are ways it can help the store be more successful and incorporate new ideas. Godshill Parish Council agreed on Monday its budget for the year ahead, which includes a 5% precept increase for residents and supports the store and service with up to £7,000. In Totland, the parish council has also drafted a budget which would increase the support for the Post Office to £7,000 a year. Councillors did wonder whether reducing the hours of the Post Office would save money but it was felt it would not help as the general overheads would still need to be paid.
The footfall is low in a post office.? There is always people posting eBay parcels and returning Amazon parcels when I regularly visit four post offices.
Agreed the cost of stamps is far too high but with the invention of emails and WhatsApp I doubt many people will be writing and sending letters in this day and age.?
When they released a modern way for people to do things at home where you can pay for and print off postal labels and have a package picked up from your front door to save you a trip to the post office, plus with the postal workers going on strike at important times of the year which deliberately holds the country to ransom, what did they think would happen.?
More taxpayers cash to keep 4 run down post offices going. but in the photo its also a shop so why do we need to put cash into it. if that’s how it works i am going out tomorrow to find a run down shop. shut them down so i can keep my cash thanks
The shop has next to nothing in it
Never open anyway should be a gold mine in the summer
Godshill Parish Council agreed on Monday its budget for the year ahead, which includes a 5% precept increase for residents and supports the store and service with up to £7,000.
so, let the store close, save £7k and don’t increase the precept as it won’t be needed – win, win
So they want hand outs to keep a Post Office running that probably serves a tiny number of people each day. This Post Office would make plenty of money if it sold piles of tourist tat in the summer. Change the name to “Ye Olde Post Office” and fill the shelves with vastly overpriced jars of jam, pickle, beer, etc. and sell sticks of Godshill rock. Sell cakes, rolls and sandwiches too. Then the cash generated in the summer would keep the shop going all year round. Get the staff to dress up in vintage gear and tell some ghost stories or whatever. Just rinse the tourists if you want to keep the shop going. That is the way it works on the island.
Would make sense to have a mobile post office which could be open a couple of hours each day for 4 or 5 locations across the Island. Massively reduce overheads.
Post Offices are vital to everyday lives.
What service do they not provide, especially with all the
Banks closing down.