Meeting on future of Alexandra Post Office

Posted on 24th Feb 2014 by Lynne Featherstone

Lynne Featherstone MP on Saturday attended a local residents meeting, to discuss the future of Alexandra Parade Post Office. A representative from the Post Office was also there to answer questions.

The Post Office was closed without notice due to a dispute between the Post Office and the Post Master, and residents have been advised to use the Muswell Hill branch instead. The Post Office have stated that the closure is temporary.

Local residents contacted the Liberal Democrat MP, as they were worried about losing the post office for good, and having to brave the queues at Muswell Hill branch on a permanent basis.

At the meeting, residents made it clear that an ongoing Post Office service is needed in the area.

Lynne Featherstone MP is now writing to the Chief Executive of the Post Office to formally raise the residents’ concerns.

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“Post Offices are a vital part of our local communities. They provide a range of services to local residents and attract people to the high street.

“The residents obviously care a great deal about the Alexandra Parade office – and I’m glad they were able to make their voices heard to the Post Office representative.

“There are still a number of unanswered questions about the closure, and about when the service will return. On behalf of local residents, I will contact the Chief Executive to get some answers.”

Hornsey Post Office to be refurbished

Posted on 17th Jan 2014 by Lynne Featherstone

Lynne Featherstone MP has today welcomed news that Hornsey Post Office will soon be modernised, into a ‘main style’ Post Office branch.

This will mean a newly refurbished branch with longer opening hours for local residents. The Post Office will offer the same products and services, with the addition of Car Tax.

The Post Office on Hornsey High Street will close for refurbishment on Thursday 20^th February, and will reopen on Friday 28^th.

Five post offices were lost in Hornsey and Wood Green under the previous Labour Government. Nationally, 7,100 Post Offices disappeared in Labour’s 13 years in office.

The Liberal Democrats in Government have provided £640 million in additional funding to modernise and protect Post Offices, on top of the no involuntary closure programme and £1.34 billion funding to ensure the Post Office network maintains its 11,500 branches.

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“It’s great to hear that Hornsey Post Office will be modernised and have longer opening hours – providing a better service for local residents.

“Since entering Government, the Lib Dems have made Post Offices a priority – stopping the kind of involuntary closures we saw under Labour, and providing over £1billion in funding to help modernise and maintain existing offices.

“Local Post Offices are vital parts of our communities, and thanks to hard working post masters and the Lib Dems in Government, they’re now here to stay!”

Local Lib Dem campaigner Dawn Barnes said:

“Many local people use Hornsey Post Office and really value the service it provides, so I am delighted that its long-term future has been secured.

“This great news follows the successful local Lib Dem campaign to keep Hornsey Sorting Office open – meaning residents here will now have great postal services all around.

“It is also great news for residents that the Post Office will be refurbished and open later on Saturdays.”

MP welcomes further £640 million to modernise and protect Post Offices

Posted on 27th Nov 2013 by Lynne Featherstone

Lynne Featherstone MP has welcomed the £640 million in additional funding to modernise and protect Post Offices, announced today by Liberal Democrat Post Office Minister Jo Swinson.

This is on top of the no involuntary closure programme and £1.34 billion already pledged by the Coalition Government to ensure the Post Office network maintains its 11,500 branches, while bringing huge benefits to customers.

The extra funding will speed up and complete the modernisation of the Post Office Network and for the first time ever funding will also be made available to maintain smaller Post Offices, who play a vital role in the community but who may not be suitable for the modernisation programme.

Five post offices were lost in Hornsey and Wood Green under the previous Labour Government. Nationally, 7,100 Post Offices disappeared in Labour’s 13 years in office.

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“Post Offices are a vital part of our communities here in Hornsey and Wood Green, and across the UK. We lost 5 Offices under the Labour Government’s ruthless and shameful closure programme.

“Instead of spending money on closing Post Offices like Labour did with their closure programme, Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government are investing to maintain and modernise our Post Offices for the future.

“I welcome the extra funding and look forward to seeing further improvements to my local Post Offices.”

Community assets update and the worst roads in the country

Posted on 29th Aug 2012 by Lynne Featherstone

The results are in: which roads people think are the worst in Haringey and which community assets people want to see given special protection under new laws.

You may have seen the recent news that according to the Department for Transport, Haringey now officially has the worst roads in England – a shocking statistic, but perhaps not that surprising to anyone who travels by road locally!

Many people have now responded to Lynne’s survey to tell their nomination for the worst road in the area, and the results are in: Coppetts Road, Hornsey Lane and Muswell Hill top the standings.

Lynne has written to Haringey Council with a long list of damaged roads – but do let us know if you have a pothole or cracked road surface in your street.

Lynne and the Haringey Liberal Democrat team have also been campaigning for increased protection for well-loved local ‘community assets,’ like post offices, libraries and parks. New laws mean that local people may have the opportunity to buy well-loved parts of their community, should they ever be sold off. The assets that people want to protect vary greatly from Priory Park and Queens Wood to local libraries and post offices.

We will now fight to get these treasured locations onto the council’s official register – so that they are better protected.

Lynne Featherstone MP calls for top post office boss to bust queues in Hornsey and Wood Green

Posted on 18th Feb 2011 by Lynne Featherstone

With residents continuing to suffer from long queues at post offices in Hornsey and Wood Green, three years after Labour closed half the area’s post offices, Lynne Featherstone MP recently met with the top post office boss to get action on queues.

The Liberal Democrat MP last Monday met with Richard Barker, manager of the post office network, to discuss steps to cut queues at post offices in Wood Green, Muswell Hill and Crouch End. Mr Barker confirmed that the waiting times at the Crown Post Offices continue to exceed the 4 minute target, with Wood Green the worst offender, with average waiting times of almost 10 minutes. To cut the queues Mr Barker has now promised to put in a special ‘queue buster programme’, with new queue management systems and extra staff.

Liberal Democrats in Government have promised not to close any more post offices, and are working with The Post Office team on new innovations to make the network sustainable across the UK.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“Since Labour closed half our post office here in Hornsey and Wood Green, queues have gone from bad to worse.

“Local people using the Wood Green office are particularly badly hit, but I am glad that the Post Office bosses are keeping a close eye, and are doing their best to bust the queues!

“Rest assured, I’ll be watching this one very closely. If residents have concerns about long Post Office queues, or any other related issues, don’t hesitate to get in touch – I’m always happy to help.”

Local MP asks residents for their stories on post office closures

Posted on 18th Jun 2010 by Lynne Featherstone

Following the closure of local post offices two years ago, Lynne Featherstone MP has this week written to local residents asking them for their experiences of the effects of the closures.

The Liberal Democrat MP will put the stories to Post Office bosses at a special meeting of Haringey Council’s watchdog body on 5th July, and pass the evidence to the responsible Government Minister.

Any resident who would like to contribute with their story should either send an email to lynne@lynnefeatherstone.org or write to Lynne Featherstone MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“The closure of almost half of our post offices two years ago was devastating. I really believe it’s essential that local residents get to have a say on how this has affected their lives.

“Post Office bosses need to listen hard and make sure that they deal with any issues that local residents raise.”

Cllr David Winskill, Liberal Democrat Lead on Overview and Scrutiny adds:

“It is unlikely that in the present financial climate these Sub Post Offices will re-open.

“However the lessons of the effects that these closures have had on the community and business should not be forgotten and hopefully will be used to halt any further reduction in the network.”