Notes on the First Meeting of Milverton Post Office Volunteers held in the Victoria Rooms on 24^th October 2006 

Present:  Gwilym Wren (Milverton Parish Clerk), Nick Collings (Post Office), Davis Fisher (VIRSA) Lindsay Waddington (rep William Waddington), Liz McDowell, Gillis Burgess, Joan Killip, Yvonne Hutchings, Trish Hennah, Babs Humphrey, Janet Sadler, Shelagh Blackmore, Gill Lumby, Jenny Hoyle, Jane Dyer, Frances Vail,  Apologies: Lindsay Fortune, William Waddington, Bob Hutchings, David Patterson.  

1. Introduction - Gwilym Wren Parish Clerk

• Update on current situation

At the date of the meeting there was at least one person who had submitted an application to the Post Office that was being processed.The Post Office were committed to keeping the Milverton Post Office open through the current temporary arrangement until a new postmaster was in a position to take over.  However, it was obvious that this position was only tenable as long as there was an applicant working their way through the system, because the Post Office could not support a temporary arrangement indefinitely.

• Continued need for a Plan B with volunteers

The Clerk explained that, given the continued uncertainty about rural post offices and the somewhat lukewarm support they were getting from the Government, there was a still a need for a back up ‘Plan B’ in the event of private applicants not being prepared to take the risk. He had therefore set up the meeting to bring together those people who had expressed their support to a community post office. The intention was to set out the current situation and gauge the level of support and commitment there was towards running a community post office.He had also invited Nick Collings from the Post Office and David Fisher from VIRSA to provide background in formation about the intricacies and demands of running a post office and setting what support was available.All the attendees were asked to give an indication of the amount of time they could possibly give to a community post office. Whilst there was a degree of enthusiasm, some experience and a willingness to help no one was in a position to offer more than a few hours per week. NB Please note that since the meeting the last current applicant has now formally withdrawn their application.

2. If We Had to How Would We Set Up a Community Post Office?Nick Collings – Post Office and David Fisher VIRSA

A community group can set up a post office but they would need to be set up as a   formal entity with a constitution and within a legal framework. This is because of the need to take on legally binding commitments with third parties eg the licence to operate, leases, seek grant aid etc.The group would need a committee of about 5-6 people with the normal officer roles (Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary etc). However the most vital point was to have someone who was prepared to take on the responsibility of holding the Post office licence to operate. This person would be ultimately responsible for the running of the business and any losses it incurred. Therefore it was equally important that this person could rely on the support of a strong group of trained supporters to help run thingsThe group would also have to have a mandate from the community to take on the post office.David Fisher confirmed that VIRSA would assist with the setting up of the group and the obtaining of the mandate from the community. Therefore, to summarise, the need was to identify a Working Group with a clear hierarchy including fundraisers, those with retail experience, a responsible Postmaster and sufficient support.This group would be responsible for preparing the Business Plan for the Post Office, seeking funding from community and external PartnersExample costs were

• Licence Fee c£4500
• Refurbishment of Premises
• Rent
• Heat & Light

• The Postmaster does not need to work but can employ staff/volunteers however, they are responsible for the business. Nevertheless in the view of the Post Office it is ideal to have a working postmaster.
• The opening hours would preferably be full time but the Post Office will look at reducing the hours if necessary. It should be noted that the remuneration would be aligned to the opening hours.
•  It would be possible to set up a Friendly Society to run the Post Office and there are various options as to how to do this.
• Whilst the Postmaster gets the remuneration there is no reason why this could not go into a central pot. However, the point was reinforced that the Postmaster solely took on the responsibility for losses.
• If the Postmaster was only working part time then any shop or retail outlet could stay open for longer but the Post Office remuneration would only reflect the Post office opening hours.
• About 168 community post offices have been opened in the last 15 years and are still open. However, it should be noted that many others have started and failed.
• Possible alternative uses include computers and any retail that does not compete with Costcutter
• Funding could be sought from a variety of sources including village institutions and charities
• Schools have been used to host Post Offices but there have been various problems.
• Other alternative premises might include the Surgery (if there was space), village halls, mobile trailers, freehold pubs, in fact there were many possibilities such as converted toilets, air raid shelters. Portacabins would have safety, security and planning issues. It was however, feasible that the Victoria Rooms could host a post office. The Clerk agreed to ask TDBC about the Creedwell Community Rooms.
• The cost of converting premises would fall on the community group but there are grants of up to £10k available on the basis of 50% match funding.
• The current temporary arrangement would continue until the New Year assuming that there was a real possibility of someone or a group coming forward.
• It would be possible for an existing Postmaster to be nominated for Milverton and run it through local volunteers, however, it would be up to individual Postmasters to make that decision.

 The meeting closed with thanks to all participants and a plea that the attendees went away to consider what had been said and reflect on whether they could individually commit to collectively come together to form a strong enough group to create a community Post Office for Milverton. No date was set for another meeting but given the withdrawal of the last candidate there is a need to meet again in mid November to consider how to proceed.  

Gwilym Wren

Clerk to Milverton Parish Council 

8^th November 2006

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