WEST Yorkshire Post Office owners were today reeling from the announcement that many of them face losing their livelihoods.

A total of 63 Post Offices across West Yorkshire are facing the axe.

The closures are part of a programme by Post Office bosses in which the county's 345 branches will be slashed to 282.

The hit list includes 22 is Leeds, six in Wakefield, five in Dewsbury and Mirfield and four in Batley. Pontefract, Normanton and Castleford will each lose one.

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The Post Office says the closure of 2,500 branches nationwide is needed to maintain a sustainable network.

There was a mixed reaction from Postmasters at yesterday's announcement.
Some spoke of their shock and anger at being put out of business while others believed the decision was inevitable.

Karim Zadeh, 50, owner of Hardwick Road Post Office, Carlton, Pontefract, said: "This is a devastating blow for me and also the local community.

"There will be a lot of disappointed people around here. It has always been a busy little shop which a lot of people rely on and is one of the focal points of the community.

"I quit my job two years ago to take over this place and always believed it would be a viable, profitable business. Now I'm am told I will be losing my livelihood. It's a real shock."

One of the branches on the closure hit list is Newlands in Albert Drive, Morley, run by Mr Jim Patel.

His son, Vipul, who is running the business while his father is away, said: "This is something that won't do my father or the customers any favours.

"It is his livelihood and post offices are part of the community.

"We get a lot of elderly customers and the nearest branch to them if we close is in Queen Street which is some distance for them to travel.

"When closure was first suggested some time ago people in the area organised a petition and made it clear they wanted their post office to stay open.

"We'll have to see what happens this time."

But Mohammed Amin Mayat, 55, owner of Bradford Road Post Office in Dewsbury said he had become resigned to the fact that his business would close due to the dwindling number of customers.

He said: "I took this business over 20 years ago and the footfall was much higher. The number of users has fallen dramatically in the last five years since things like benefits have been paid directly into peoples' banks.

"I have a shop as well as the Post Office but there is no way I will be able to keep going now."

Post Offices are losing around £3.5m a week with four million fewer customers than two years ago.

Residents will have only a six week consultation – starting from today –to save any branch earmarked for closure.

The criteria for the future Post Office network focuses on the number of households able to access branches.

In urban areas 95 per cent of the population will be within one mile of a branch.

In rural areas 95 per cent of the population will have to travel up to three miles.

If the closures all go ahead, there will be 209 branches in urban areas of West Yorkshire and 73 in rural areas.

A Post Office statement said: "Post Office Limited is acutely aware of the concerns the changes affecting Post Office branches in the West Yorkshire area will cause.

"If these proposed changes take place, Post Office Limited will remain the largest retailer by network size in the area, and will still have more branches open than the number of branches of major banks and building societies combined."