Ramsey Post Office – A Glimmer of Hope?

Since the initial announcement that Ramsey Post Office was going to be “relocated” out of the Courthouse, Ramsey Town Commissioners have been fighting to save the branch.

Whilst the preferred outcome would be for the Isle of Man Post Office to rethink its decision to close the Ramsey Courthouse branch, we know that according to the Post Office there is no guarantee that this would be financially viable.

It’s a difficult fight, trying to convince a business to retain a setup that is not generating profits, but one I think it’s worth trying to win.

Ths is because the Post Office is more than just a business, it is a social enterprise that provides a range of essential services to the public, not all of which will necssarily be profit making. I suppose the question that should be asked here is, should we be relying on a semi-corporate entity to fund these community services itself or should there be some form of government subvention?

It is especially true in Ramsey, where the Courthouse building is widely considered to be the Heart of the Town, that the branch provides more than can be measured on a balance sheet. If the branch is relocated and the building is left empty I fear that this could completely undo any positive effects of the recent regeneration project.

So instead of putting all our eggs in one basket, at the same time as fighting to convince the Isle of Man Post Office to rethink their decision, we are also working hard to find a viable alternative which will be an acceptable middle ground to all concerned.

The Tynwald motion that resulted from Kate Beecroft’s emergency debate has delayed the closures by three months, but will this be long enough to achieve these aims? Or was this just an attempt by Government to quieten the opposition to the closure, hoping in the intervening three months we would forget our objections?