Isle of Man post office closures: consultation extended

A petition with nearly 2,000 signatures was handed into the House of Keys last year

Campaigners looking to save the Isle of Man's two main post offices have been given an extra month to submit alternative proposals.

Isle of Man Post Office (IoMPO) announced last year that its Douglas and Ramsey branches would be replaced with sub-post offices.

Manx politicians then voted to give campaigners three months to talk to staff and consider alternative options.

The four-month delay is expected to cost the organisation about £120,000.

Nearly 2,700 people have joined a Facebook group to save the Ramsey branch.

Campaigners have described the proposed closures, which would mean the loss of 19 jobs, as a "disgrace and a travesty".

According to IoMPO the new sub-post offices would retain the same number of serving points

A IoMPO spokeswoman said the extension request from Ramsey Postal Co-Operative (RPC) had been agreed.

The new deadline will now be 31 March.

She said: "The Post Office regrets that this will extend the period of uncertainty for directly affected employees.

"The Post Office will assess the viability of any proposals under the interested parties consultation process after the closing date."

Chairman of IOMPO Graham Cregeen said the extensions give interested parties "every opportunity" to present their business plans.

If any are successful they would need to gain approval from Tynwald and the Council of Ministers.

The two branches account for more than two-thirds of IoMPO's annual £750,000 losses.