North West Evening Mail
Post office protestors hijack bypass opening
Published on 05/04/2008
SUPPORTERS of a rural post office are mounting a protest at the
official opening of the new £36m bypass.
Around 20 placard-waving campaigners fighting to save Greenodd Post
Office from the axe will turn up for the opening ceremony of the High
and Low Newton bypass on Tuesday.
A campaign steering group was formed last week following a public
meeting attended by 350 people, which included Westmorland and Lonsdale
MP Tim Farron.
The group will conduct a peaceful protest over plans to replace the
South Lakeland post office with an outreach service.
Steering group spokesman, Archie Workman, said the protestors would be
organising banners and placards but were not looking to disrupt the
opening of the bypass.
Mr Workman said: “We have registered under the Public Order Act 1986
with the police that we intend to protest against the closure of
Greenodd Post Office.
“We are doing it legitimately. We are not out to antagonise, we just
want to get our point across.
“With the minister and MP John Hutton there, I think this will be the
one opportunity in the whole of the consultation period for the two
sides to be in the same vicinity. The protest will be on foot and we
will have placards and banners.”
Mr Workman said the steering group had already set up a website and
was in the process of organising further protests.
He said: “We will be inviting the police to one of our steering group
meetings, because we are sure they will not be too happy with where the
post office wants to park the outreach van.”
Meanwhile, South Lakeland District Council cabinet members will
discuss an official response to the post office closure plan at their
meeting on Wednesday.