A FIRST class stamp is now costing Highgate residents a staggering £4.32 after Post Office bosses told them to hop on a bus before posting a letter

Katie Davies

A FIRST class stamp is now costing Highgate residents a staggering £4.32 after Post Office bosses told them to hop on a bus before posting a letter.

The consultation document from Post Office Ltd shown to the Highgate Society tells people that given the area's "hilly" terrain they should get a bus to the Upper Holloway post office in Archway to buy a stamp.

This will be their nearest post office when the branch on Highgate High Street is shut, and would mean incurring a £4 bus fee for anyone wanting to buy a stamp and post a letter.

"They say this in their own papers - it's absolutely ridiculous," said High Street shop owner Avril Castellazzo.

"I won't be able to use a post office ever again if the High Street office closes. At the moment I can pop to the post office for five minutes and just close up the shop - but I can't do a return bus journey.

"This is going to make such a difference to the community. They say people should support local businesses and smaller shops and then they do something like this."

The Highgate Society's spokesman Brendan Nolan said: "It's a tax on Highgate. We're being asked to pay £4 each time we want to use the Post Office."

Campaigners are calling to save the Highgate High Street office and similar attempts are underway at the England's Lane, South End Green and Crowndale Road branches.

Closures are also be opposed in Child's Hill, Alexandra Park Road, East Finchley, Pennine Parade in Golders Green and Cricklewood.

At the Crowndale Road branch in Londis, protesters gathered for a demo last Friday, which was attended by MP Frank Dobson and Deputy Mayor of London Nicky Gavron.

Local councillor Roger Robinson said: "We've got petitions up in every shop against the closure and more than 1000 people have signed up so far. This post office is used by everyone locally on all the estates around it. We are going to fight this all the way."

Post Office Limited has confirmed they will be attending area forums in Camden to discuss the closures. The next one is the Hampstead area forum on March 10.

Meanwhile, a meeting was held last night in Heath Library to discuss the closure at South End Green with a representative of Post Watch. Post Office Ltd refused an invitation to speak.

The South End Green Association has 1,300 petition signatures against the closure.

Public demonstrations are expected to take place in all the affected areas before the end of the consultation process in April.

Visit www.postoffice.co.uk and look at the plans under Network Change Programme for information on the proposed closures.

katie.davies@hamhigh.co.uk