Fri, 07 Feb 2020
Malew Commissioners have received an open letter from the Isle of Man Post Office which addresses problems raised by the authority regarding Ballasalla Post Office.
In the letter, (pictured below) Chair of IOMPO Julie Edge MHK states that she's responded to letters received by the Post Office and addresses residents collecting pensions and allowances if the Ballasalla outlet does close.
Ms Edge wrote the following to Malew Commissioners: 'You have not acknowledged the proxy option available to those recipients unwilling or unable to access a bank account and unable to travel to an alternate SPO.
'I can confirm that the Social Security Division (SSD) of Treasury, responsible for the service, have never had an issue in the past with recipients not being able to access at least one of the three options available, even in locations where SPOs have been discontinued in the past, (the current network is made up of 21 SPOs, having decreased by approximately one-third in the last 20 years).'
The IOMPO Chair continues the letter by stating the local business community has not been overlooked and was consulted, claiming over 200 people have been contacted: 'The business community has not been overlooked. As part of the consultation, IOMPO wrote directly to over 200 businesses in the area, to seek their feedback on the proposed changes, noting that standard postage services are to be retained in Ballasalla.
'We took the opportunity to advise those businesses of the range of commercial services, including timed deliveries and collections, corporate accounts and self-administered postage options that may help to improve their productivity.'
The letter can be viewed here.