Tipperary TD raises concerns over plans to change post office services in this major town

Tipperary Sinn Féin TD Martin Browne has been informed that An Post has taken the decision to change the business model of the well-known Post Office in Tipperary town.

Staff were informed of the changes at a meeting on Thursday evening.

“After being alerted to the fact that a meeting concerning Tipperary Town Post Office was due to take place, I and my Tipperary town colleagues Cllr Annemarie Ryan and Tony Black immediately made enquiries with An Post regarding their intentions for the service.

“It was confirmed to us that the Post Office in Tipperary Town will become a contractor-run post office. This means that once a changeover between An Post and the new postmaster happens, it will no longer be run directly by An Post."

Deputy Browne said that they were informed that the change in circumstances will not change the range or extent of the services currently offered.

“We were also assured that all jobs are safe, and that staff will have the option of taking up employment with the new Postmaster, or redeploying elsewhere within the An Post network if that if their preference. This has been confirmed to us by staff as well," he said.

However, Deputy Browne said that they were told that the continuation of counter services at the current Davis Street site was only guaranteed for the medium term.

“We know that staff were told that it is the intention to relocate the retail part of the Post Office to somewhere else in the town in six months or so. We are very concerned at this," he said.

“In the first case, we believe that An Post should not be targeting Tipperary Town at all. Tipperary Town has a Government-sponsored taskforce precisely because it is deprived. This decision only brings further uncertainty into the equation. We have to ask, what’s to stop someone taking over as postmaster and in 12 months’ time pulling out and closing down the service entirely? Will the terms of the contract make any provision in this regard?" he said.

He said that Sinn Féin representatives will engage with An Post on this, and will make their opposition to these plans known.

“Secondly, we are very clear that whatever is the outcome, An Post services must remain in the town centre, given the benefit that a functioning post office in an urban centre has for other businesses and the overall economy of the town.

“We are all aware that the town has also lost a number of businesses recently. And we must remember that the Grant Thornton Report on the Post Office Network stated that the withdrawal of a post office from an area has a significant impact on the remaining businesses due to the impact on local footfall. All post office transactions provide a substantial boost to local economic activity.

“We cannot afford to ignore any potential threat to this. Therefore, we will be engaging with An Post on this matter, and will not support anything that threatens the economic and social wellbeing of the town," he said.