Post office closure challenge

Dawn Wilcox says she is one of many against the closure

A disabled woman from Ebbw Vale plans to take the Royal Mail to court over the closure of her local post office.

Dawn Wilcox has been told by her solicitor she has a strong case to challenge the consultation process.

Now she is trying to obtain legal aid to finance her battle to keep Willowtown post office open.

Post Office Ltd said it was satisfied that the consultation was undertaken in accordance with its obligations.

Ms Wilcox, who uses a wheelchair and crutches, relies on the post office for bill payments, licence renewals and general shopping.

Willowtown is on a list of five post offices still threatened with closure in the Blaenau Gwent area and is due to shut on 12 May.

"If this post office closes, then the nearest one will be in the town centre about a mile and a half away, which for me is up hill and down dale," she said.

"That might be fine on a bright spring day, but it's not the easiest to get to when it's cold, wet or icy."

Deprived

The Royal Mail announced last month that five post offices in the area were to close - Badminton Grove, Beaufort Hill, Garnlydan, Waunlwynd and Willowtown,

But the Cefn Golau and Rassau offices were spared after consultation, partly because they were in deprived communities.

Ms Wilcox, 43, says she is leading the action but almost 1,000 local people had signed a petition, including young mothers, the elderly and other disabled people.

She hopes now to persuade the Royal Mail to think again and start their consultation process from scratch.

Protesters against post office closures in Ebbw Vale last December

The basis of her claim will be that the consultation process, which led to the post office being earmarked for closure, was flawed.

She will say that Royal Mail did not consult with the council over the closure and in addition there are a number of factual mistakes in the closure document.

"It seems mistakes were made in Royal Mail's consultation process and in all likelihood we can take the closure to a judicial review," said solicitor Michael Imperato who believes Ms Wilcox has a strong case. .

"The closure of the Willowtown post office is just another example of amenities being lost in areas which really cannot afford to lose them."

A spokesman for Post Office Ltd said public consultation was undertaken in accordance with its code of practice, agreed with the watchdog Postwatch, MPs, AMs, the local authority as well as pressure groups representing the interests of customers.

"Extensive consultation took place with all of these bodies in the Blaenau Gwent constituency. Indeed after discussions with the MP and AM, the normal six week period was further extended.

After the public consultation there was full analysis of the issues raised along with further discussions with Postwatch before a final decision was made, said the spokesman.

Last December Blaenau Gwent MP Llew Smith led a short debate on the issue in the Commons last December, saying the closures would have a "devastating effect on our community."