One hundred and thirty people attend meeting to save Post Office in village in Offaly
An incredible 130 people turned out for a public meeting in Kinnitty Community Centre last week to save their Post Office.
With the Post Mistress of 40 years, Breda Byrne, having recently retired, An Post says it will close the Post Office in Kinnitty and transfer its services to Birr before the end of October.
An Post has also said that it is prepared to offer the village what is known as a Post Point Retailer Services solution to any interested retailer where local people will be able to purchase stamps, avail of mail and parcel drop off, bill payment and mobile top up services.
However it became apparent during the public meeting last week that this watered down version of the service isn't a very popular option. It would seem that the preferred model of service delivery would be to have a stand-alone post office in the village.
Willie Boland, Chairman of Kinnitty GAA said the club decided to take action several weeks ago and sent letters expressing their concern to the local representatives.
Willie said the PO plays a very important social role in the community for the people of a wide area including Clareen and Drumcullen. “It is one of the village's essential fulcrums,” he remarked.
Majella Bergin, Secretary of Kinnitty GAA, read out the letter they sent to the public reps. The letter spoke of their “deep concerns”. It said many are agreed that the closure will have a “devastating effect” on the area. It pointed out that over recent years the village has lost five shops, two draperies, and three petrol pumps. “Our Post Office is a lifeline for many, a vital service for the elderly and those without transport. To lose it would see the further erosion of our rural community. We need to put a stop to this erosion, this decline.”
Cllr John Clendennen, who chaired the meeting, welcomed Hugh O'Connor from An Post's Regional Office in Portlaoise. “I've been in contact with Hugh a number of times over the last several weeks,” said Cllr Clendennen.
Mr O'Connor told the meeting that his office covers the Midlands and Southeast Region, in which there are 180 POs. “We want to keep the Post Office going and we want to find a retail partner who will keep the service going.”
He asked anyone interested to contact him. He said people who run Post Offices are not direct employees of An Post, but are “contractors” who provide the premises themselves and enter into a commission with An Post whereby the more services they provide each day, the more transactions over the counter, the more money they receive.
“Once someone comes forward and he or she is genuinely committed then we get into the financial and practical details of the service. We will provide the computers, CCTV and safes. The responsibility for the stocks and the cost of insurance lies with An Post. However, the contractor will need to provide public liability insurance for the customer area.”
He pointed out that the minimum space required to run a service is 3 metres by 4 metres.
He said An Post is not a massively wealthy company like the Banks, and in 2018, because it was “running into financial trouble” it had to close 150 Post Offices. “Things are pretty steady now and we are planning to expand our services into new areas, such as banking and foreign exchange. Packets and parcels will remain a major thing. The future looks bright.”
Cllr Seán Maher pointed out that in Crinkle the Post Office moved into Hassett's Hardware Store. He said he knew most people in the Kinnitty area did not want to travel to Birr to avail of the service.
Deputy Carol Nolan said that, unlike Killeigh, she was hopeful of a positive outcome in Kinnitty.
Cllr Peter Ormond praised Breda Byrne for giving 40 years of service to the local community.
Cllr John Leahy said running the Post Office in someone else's business premises was probably the most practical option. He said “the vibe” was positive in the meeting and therefore he was hopeful that a solution will be found.