FOREST Heath District Council deplores the decision to close two Post Offices in the district.
The Post Office has confirmed the closure of offices in Barton Mills and Exning Road, Newmarket, even though the council and many objectors argued strongly against the move.
Forest Heath District Council believes this is a poor decision and one which appears to take no account of proper service provision to customers.
Chairman of the Community Services Committee, Councillor Nigel Roman, said: "It is a short sighted decision and of particular concern to those who live in Barton Mills and who will have to travel over a mile to use a Post Office. The loss of the Post Offices will be keenly felt by the communities they served."
Forest Heath District Council does not believe the Post Office has taken into account the demographic nature of the communities, the location or the present level of business at Barton Mills. Open six days a week, the Post Office serves between 100 and 199 customers a week. These people, many of whom are elderly, now have travel to Mildenhall.
The Exning Road, Newmarket Post Office has already closed leaving one Post Office in the centre of the town, providing a service to 17.000 residents. Forest Heath District Council is concerned at the ability of one Post Office to cope with this number of potential customers and at the problems queuing for service could cause, especially to elderly customers.
The council strongly expressed its objections to the closure of these two Post Offices and feels the voices of protestors have not fully been listened to or taken into account.