Post Office Update - Parish Rooms

After much deliberation by the Group tasked with getting the Outreach Post Office up and running, the most suitable venue still remains the Parish Rooms, on the edge of the Playing Field. In respect of the precise date of the changeover from its existing location in the shop, we are unfortunately in the hands of Post Office Ltd. But we are desperately pushing for a date as close as possible to the beginning of December, in order to give Brian and Carol Oldroyd some certainty. PO Ltd are currently overwhelmed by implementing their closure/outreach plans across the UK, but we are hopeful that with lobbying we might get to the top of the queue. We may even need to get Oliver Letwin to help us achieve this.  To this end the Parish Rooms room has been undergoing  a rapid transformation, thanks to massive efforts by a team of BN volunteers with brushes, paintpots, screwdrivers and drills, with particularly thanks to Jan and Trevor Marpole, the team organizers and also responsible for the lion's share of the work. The gift of £400 from the village via the Fete committee has been hugely welcome in covering materials and the Parish Council are applying for a £1000 grant from the District Council for the more expensive works. In spite of the upgrading of the Parish Rooms, the intention remains that this is a temporary venue and that the PO will eventually return to the Shop - albeit only as an Outreach service. Because of PO regulations, this can only happen after Bryan and Carol have retired and the onward future of the shop is secured. The village's ability to retain a Post Office is inevitably dependant on its financial viability and that is in turn, dependant on us and our use of the service when it moves to the Parish Rooms. The 3 hour slot (10am until 1 pm) on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays provided by the Postmaster from Cerne Abbas, could be extended if it proves very popular - or lost if it is unsupported.
If you have any queries or concerns, do contact any member of the Steering Group named at the bottom of the page.

Post Office Hours Survey
Over 100 forms were filled in and posted in the 'Hours' box in the shop or handed in to collectors. Even people who didn't really mind what hours and days we have were good enough to fill in their forms. Over a third of forms were from people who use our Post Office for business, and not all businesses in the area returned forms, which shows just how vital the Post Office is for a rural community. The results show definite preferences: -

Clearly the most popular days are Monday, Tuesday and Friday. This won't suit everyone, but will please the majority. The results for the hours also left no doubt:
 

Although this won't be convenient for everyone,  the most popular hours are between 10 am and 1 pm. And these results match what Brian tells us are his busiest times.
At the moment, the Post Office is only offering us 9 hours a week. Now we know what your preferences are, we are asking for a service that covers 10 am to 1 pm on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Having the same hours for each day will be easy to remember. How will this affect those of you who would normally use the Post Office on Wednesday or Thursday? For instance -

What happens if you have always collected your pension on Thursday?

You will still be able to collect your pension — on Monday, Tuesday or Friday.

What happens if you turn up at five to one with 10 parcels to post?

The postmaster will not leave until you have been served. That is guaranteed.

And rest assured — our reduced service is only a reduction of hours. All the services that Brian is currently providing, such as paying bills, getting cash etc., will continue to be available..

After 6 months the Post Office will look again at the level of service they are providing. How much and how often we use the Post Office can make a difference. If Buckland Newton demonstrates that it clearly needs more than 9 hours a week, then there is a good chance that we can negotiate more hours. It is up to us.

The change-over from having the post office in the shop to hosting it in its new venue is expected to happen close to Christmas (a good chance to get it off to a flying start with all that Christmas mail!), and we are waiting for the Post Office's response to our request for the hours and days you have voted for.

And a great big Thank You to all those took part in our survey and made it so easy for us to present your views to the Post Office.