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STATES OF JERSEY
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CENTRAL MARKET: SUB POST OFFICE FACILITY – PETITION (P.74/2010) – AMENDMENT
Lodged au Greffe on 17th June 2010
by Deputy S. Pitman of St. Helier
STATES GREFFE
2010 Price code: B P.74 Amd.
CENTRAL MARKET: SUB POST OFFICE FACILITY – PETITION (P.74/2010): AMENDMENT
PAGE 2 –
For the words "reconsider its position relating to the presence of a" substitute the words "delay its decision to close the" and after the words "Central Market" at the end of the proposition insert the words "until the Council of Ministers has produced and presented to the States a report examining the social and economic impacts of the potential closure and the States have debated the desirability or otherwise of the closure following consideration of the said report".
DEPUTY S. PITMAN OF ST. HELIER
REPORT
On 20th April it was announced that the Sub Post Office in the Central Market was to be closed at the end of June this year. There are several purported reasons for its closure and they are, that of the rapid decline of the use of local and global postal services; that the retail network i.e. the Island's sub-post office network loses around £1 million per year and therefore, that Jersey Post needs to change the way it delivers its retail services. In other words it needs to be modernised. Finally, Jersey Post will be opening a new retail outlet at the Co-op in Don Street, which will apparently' deliver a more efficient service than the current Sub Post Office.
The Central Market Sub Post Office has been an important part of our historical Market since 1972, with its post box being the oldest in the Island. It has been vital for most of the Market Traders in the operation of their businesses and provides a vast range of reliable services to the community. These are –
• normal postal services;
• provision for paying Housing Department rents;
• paying electricity bills;
• paying water bills;
• paying television licences;
• cashing Social Security cheques;
• banking with Lloyds/TSB and Barclays;
• sending money grams;
• foreign exchange services;
• pensions;
• sells parking pay-cards;
• sells mobile phone top-up cards;
• and has a Portuguese employee who can translate.
It also has, with the Market, significance to Jersey's culture i.e. that of a small British and French island Market that is vibrant with life, has a range of different and local products and services.
Despite the fact that thousands of people and Market Traders rely on this sub-post office; that we do not know what services will be lost to the community when it is closed; how much money this particular sub-post office loses a year; (the Minister for Treasury and Resources has been unable to provide such information on these two points); and will the Co-op service make up for this loss; how much the potential impact there will be on the Market as a visitor attraction; and finally, the impact on the Traders within the Market and outside will be; Jersey Post has announced the closure of the Market sub-post office and the Minister for Treasury and Resources has raised no questions as to the impact of its loss.
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P.74/2010 Amd.
I urge Members to consider these points carefully before deciding whether or not they will support this amendment.
Financial and manpower implications
There are no financial or manpower implications to the States in asking the Minister for Treasury and Resources, to firstly request Jersey Post to delay their decision to close the sub-post office in the Central Market, until such time that allow the Council of Ministers to produce a report.
There will, however, be costs incurred in the production of the report commissioned by the Council of Ministers, which could be met by last year's tax revenue surplus of £21 million.
There will be financial implications for Jersey Post as the Central Market Sub Post Office is making a loss. However, no more details can be provided here as Members do not know what loss this particular sub-post office is making. The Minister for Treasury and Resources has been unable to give Members this information, and has only informed us of the figure for the loss that all our Jersey Post sub-post offices are making, which is £1 million a year.