Lendal Post Office
We reported earlier in the week that some of the documents issued by the Post Office were unclear about what services would be transferred from Lendal to their new branch in Coney Street.
They have written back to provide some clarification.
“I hope it will be helpful to explain that the vast majority of products and services available in a Directly Managed Branch will transfer to a franchise with the exception of The UK Visa and Immigration Biometric Enrolment Service for the Home Office. This service is currently available nationwide by agreement with the Home Office and is provided through a mix of directly managed and WHSmith’s branch locations.
The Home Office recently awarded a new contract for this service to another supplier and it has been announced that our role in this is coming to an end in November, although we are discussing supporting the Home Office until March 2019”.
The Home Office is understood to have issued a contract to an on line supplier.
WHSmith
The Post Office has not provided any quality of service stats for the Lendal branch.
Nor will they reveal the target “queue waiting times “for the new branch which they hope to open in the WHSmith’s premises.
We think that the quality of customer services should be a key factor in making any decision about moving public service access points.
A little more transparency wouldn’t be amiss although the move to 7 days a week opening will be a step forward.
Residents wishing to comment on the plans should click here to fill out the Post Office survey
A local MPs reaction, to news that Post-Office services will be transferred about 200 metres to a site within W H Smiths on Coney Street, has provoked a mixed reaction. A photo of a local Councillor giving the clench fist salute at an anti-Post Office street rally, raised concerns that this might be the precursor to barricades being erected in the streets, accompanied by loud singing of the “Internationale”