Sir – As a resident of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell I welcome your front-page coverage of the proposed changes to the Post Office (PO) in the village (Herald, December 2).

However, you have only covered part of the picture. The PO plc has proposed that the PO counter and equipment be moved from the village hall into the village shop next door.

This would displace a significant number of the shop display cabinets and is likely to cause significant congestion due to two queues at the one counter at busy periods.

At the moment, the shop is run by two part-time employed managers and many volunteer helpers.

The PO is insisting that the counter be open for long hours and that it is staffed by some paid employees. They are not prepared to pay any of the salaries or even for the rent of the shop space.

The only additional income that the shop might expect would be the commission on the goods and services sold at the PO counter.

It has been suggested that the shop would benefit from the increased footfall of PO customers but since the PO is moving not more than seven yards from its present position the increased footfall is unlikely to be significant.

Unless the financial arrangements are sound the success of the shop and its value to the village could be undermined.

At a very crowded meeting in the village hall on Tuesday, November 24, there was significant concern about the offer. The PO representatives at the meeting made a poor case for the proposal.

While everyone is keen to keep the PO in the village it was clear that more than half the members at the meeting were not prepared to accept the PO plc’s present terms.

Garry McCracken
Sotwell Street
Brightwell-cum-Sotwell