DESPITE having made several attempts by email and telephone to establish what is happening regarding the plan for an outreach service for Little Downham and to request that the parish council and myself be involved in any discussions and planning for thi

DESPITE having made several attempts by email and telephone to establish what is happening regarding the plan for an outreach service for Little Downham and to request that the parish council and myself be involved in any discussions and planning for this, I have not heard back from anyone with any information. My understanding is that the postmaster at Little Downham branch has also not been given any information whatsoever, which is not at all helpful to her in terms of planning her exit strategy.

I understand that Post Office Ltd has been unable to secure a contract with a business or organisation to run either an outreach service or a mobile unit in Little Downham.

Since September, I have been undertaking some research into the decisions that were taken about which branches would be closed in Cambridgeshire as well as those where the decision was reversed and the branch would remain open, namely Great Gransden. Great Gransden branch is comparable with Little Downham, both in terms of its size and its village location and in the fact that they are both hosted within the only general goods shop in the village. Both branches have weekly customer session numbers of 300-399 and both branches were proposed for replacement with an outreach service.

I have obtained copies of the letters that were submitted to Post Office Ltd objecting to the closure of both branches. I can see no logicality or fairness in how or why the decision to close Little Downham and keep Great Gransden open has been reached.

ANNA BAILEY

District Councillor

Downham Villages

East Cambridgeshire District Council

Tel: 01353 663 253

Mob: 07787 533 279

Email: annabailey@hotmail.co.uk 2

Tel: 01353 663 253

Mob: 07787 533 279

Email: anna.bailey@eastcambs.gov.uk 1