§ 10. Mr. Goughasked the Postmaster-General if he will now establish a sub-post office in the southern part of Crawley to meet the growing and urgent needs of the people in the Southgate neighbourhood.
§ Miss PikeThere is already a sub-post office in the Southgate neighbourhood of Crawley, and I am sorry that I should not be justified in opening another.
§ Mr. GoughIs my hon. Friend aware that there may be a sub-post office in that neighbourhood, but that there many thousands of people still have to walk a very long way? Will she convey to my right hon. Friend a request that perhaps a small delegation may be allowed to see him to discuss this matter further?
§ Miss PikeI would remind the hon. Gentleman that the head post office was moved in 1959 to a new and better site, which is only about 500 yards away, that the office in the old town centre would be very close to the new head office and would draw a certain amount of business away from it, and that it does serve the area of Southgate as well. I assure him that this has been gone into very carefully. We will, of course, receive a delegation, if my hon. Friend thinks that it is necessary, but we believe that the convenience of the population is well served by the present arrangements.
§ Mr. GoughMay I ask my hon. Friend, for the purpose of the record, if she does not realise that the new site of the post office is such that old people particularly find it rather difficult to reach it, because they have to cross two very dangerous main thoroughfares, and it is for that reason that I have asked that the matter should be more fully gone into?