More than 160 people gathered in Ramsey Town Hall ahead of Ramsey Town Commissioners’ monthly board meeting on Wednesday November 19th to hear Members comment on the shock announcement by Isle of Man Post Office that it is to close Ramsey Crown Post Office at the Courthouse in Parliament Street.

Commissioners were united in their condemnation of the decision and the manner in which the contract between the Post Office and new operator Mannin Retail Limited had been secured. It was, said Ramsey Town Commissioners’ chairman Captain Nigel Malpass ‘the very opposite of transparent and open government’. He continued: ‘The Courthouse is at the very heart of Ramsey and the staff there the heartbeat that makes the post office the hub of the community.’

Steven Bevan referred to the closure as ‘outrageous’ and a highly regrettable ‘fait accompli’ achieved with no consultation having taken place with Ramsey Town Commissioners; Dr Alex Allinson said he was ‘saddened’ by the news of a cost-saving measure he saw as ‘an attack on public service’, while Richard Radcliffe said he was ‘stunned’ and Geoff Quayle regretted the loss of ‘a vital point of social contact’.

Captain Malpass said all Members were committed to making every effort to see the decision reversed and he urged the public to join with the board in communicating their deep disappointment to Isle of Man Post Office, issuing the call to action: ‘Let Ramsey have a voice’.

Steven Bevan then proposed a motion that:

‘Ramsey Town Commissioners object in the strongest terms to the closure of the Ramsey Crown Post Office at the Courthouse, Parliament Street, Ramsey; and that the Commissioners view with disgust the treatment of the public, local authority and Ramsey Post Office staff, and the manner in which the process has been managed.’

The motion was seconded by Lawrie Hooper and carried unanimously.