City and district councillor Mick Shone condemned what he called 'these cavalier decisions,' and said the council's dismay and disgust should be registered.

Plans to close post offices in Sadlers Walk and at The Ridgeway, on the Parklands estate, have been announced.

"Yet again this is a decision that shows a lack of feeling for the most disadvantaged people in our community," Cllr Shone told a city council meeting.

"These are the elderly, the disabled and young families, with no access to private transport, and very limited public transport.

"These are the people who are repeatedly victims of these so-called consultation processes, which are farcical, because consultation doesn't really exist."

The Parklands post office was a social gathering point, but more importantly it was a facility which they had worked very hard to keep in the west ward.

"We had threats of shops being closed because of huge rent increases proposed by the district council," he added.

"We now have a situation where we have been able to resolve the rent issues and put money aside to improve that area, and persuade people to improve the external appearance of the shops.

"All this work is being undermined by this cavalier decision to close the post office. And those of you who have queued half-an-hour to use the post office can imagine the tremendous queues that will form elsewhere if it is closed."

City mayor Cllr Ray Brown said: "We will have a situation where there are even longer queues."

A post office in Cambrai Avenue was lost some time ago – and this was a meeting point and gathering place. Cllr Richard Plowman said the post office at Parklands was the centre of life there.

"I do regret they have chosen two post offices in the city to close – I thought this was about rural post offices, not post offices that are thriving," he declared.

• THE leader of Chichester District Council has said the authority will do all it can to support the post offices threatened with closure.


"I think it goes without saying we do not want to see any post offices closing across the district, as they are an important part of our rural community," said council leader Myles Cullen.

"However, there is a sense of inevitability about closures given the experience of Kent residents, where thousands of letters and emails failed to alter the number of post offices remaining on the closure list.

"The district council will be doing all it can to support threatened post offices. With our support, these outlets may be made viable without relying on the income of the post office, which could prevent them from disappearing from our villages altogether.

"Our economic development service will work with outlets to look at ways in which they can diversify their businesses to make them financially viable