New Ross Post Office contract announcement this week

By Dan Walsh

The people of New Ross have been resolute in their loyal support for the ‘Save Our Post Office on Charles Street’ campaign to retain the services in the building owned by An Post and serving the community since 1904. But matters have become complicated and confused over the weekend, or have they?

Ahead of last Saturday’s second planned rally outside the New Ross Post Office, on Friday evening, Enniscorthy-based Minister James Browne informed the organisers that he had left a meeting in Dublin, attended by Minister Jack Chambers TD, Minister of State, attending the Cabinet, in the Department of Transport and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, and the Chief Executive Officer of An Post, David McRedmond- where a decision was reached “that the service will be maintained in the current building in the town at Charles Street.”

In a statement recently, An Post said; “In line with the ongoing transformation of the national post office network An Post has announced that its office in New Ross will become a contractor run post office. New Ross joins the mainstream of national post offices of which more than 95% of the country’s 900 plus offices which are run by contractors. Fewer than 40 post offices nationally are run directly by An Post.

I haven’t seen a statement or being officially informed of matters pertaining to New Ross Post Office over the weekend, but my informed and reliable sources tell me that at Friday’s meeting An Post announced that the contract for the post office will be advertised early next week. “We have, however, given a commitment to work with the local authority or local development bodies on future usage of the post office building,” said An Post.

The plan is that the new Postmaster, when appointed, will be working from the current building on Charles Street, until the future use of the building is secure. An Post says there is ‘no question’ of any reduction in postal or other services as a result of any change.

According to a report by RTÉ South Eastern correspondent, Conor Kane; “Other areas where An Post followed a route now being pursued in New Ross and Tipperary include Phibsborough, Rathmines and Tallaght in Dublin, and Roscommon. Meanwhile, in Cashel, Co Tipperary, post office front desk services are being relocated next month from the existing base on Main Street to the SuperValu. Here, the service is already run by a contractor and there have been assurances that the move will not affect existing jobs.