VILLAGERS in Dobcross have been issued with a call to arms to try and save its Post Office.
Brian Hodgkinson will step down as postmaster on August 6 – and so far not enough people have expressed a proper interest in taking it on.
Plenty of people have said it should stay and expressed support for running it as a community co-operative but too few have actually put their views in writing.
Now Brian has told people living in Dobcross to turn words into action, or the facility will be lost.
He asked: “Do sufficient people in the community care about whether the Post Office and Village Store in Dobcross continue, or are the majority quite happy to travel further afield for their banking and postal requirements or daily provisions?
“I have had a personal email from the Post Office Retail Team supporting this concept for Dobcross, but it requires two committed people prepared to act as applicants and to undertake the process, which includes preparing a business plan and vouching for the financial backing etc.
“Also please remember that the retail side of the business, the Village Store, is easier to transfer but in the overall scheme of things is actually more important, as it provides the largest proportion of the profit required to pay the salaries of staff who will operate the Post Office counter.
“It is hoped that this will generate further interest in the co-operative concept. However we don’t want to exclude any individual or smaller groups of investors who may be interested in taking over.
“My last day as postmaster in accordance with the terms of the notice will be August 6. Do you want the Dobcross Post Office and Village Store to continue operating?”
The Village Store and Post Office, on Woods Lane, has provided a vital service to the village for several years.
But as things stand, it will not continue past August, even though an idea has been floated to acquire the business and operate it on a community basis, just like around 200 others around the country.
That would take a figure of about £70,000 to buy the business plus stock and to provide a sum for working capital, rent, wages and other overheads.
The business enjoys a 100 per cent rebate on business rates but rent of about £2,000 per quarter is likely to be needed.
And to apply to keep the Post Office, a rental agreement of at least three years should be in place.
Brian is also making it easy for anyone interested in tanking it on as he has the forms at the store.
But concrete interest is needed, not verbal keenness as he added: “Despite a fair amount of verbal support for the idea, the number of forms returned to date, indicating a willingness to be involved as an investor etc is way below the target needed to make the idea viable.
“A useful document can be found on line entitled ‘Setting Up A Community-run Post Office.’
“This has been produced collaboratively by Citizens Advice, the Plunkett Foundation and the Post Office, and based on the fact that there are around 200 examples nationwide of similar enterprises, the omens are encouraging.”
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