A CONSUMER watchdog has savaged the consultation into the Post Office’s programme of closures two years ago.

Consumer Focus, a statutory organisation, researched the way the public was consulted over the programme, which was launched in May 2007 and which caused huge anger in Bexley and across the country.

It concluded the consultation exercise was flawed and ineffective and was regarded by most people as “a sham”.

Its work revealed while record number of people responded to plans to close 2,500 post office branches across the country, Post Office Ltd (POL) missed the opportunity to gather valuable local knowledge about how the cuts would affect local communities.

The study says POL failed to tell people what kind of arguments and information it wanted from people in response to its consultation.

As a result, many people raised petitions and sent letters of protest which were largely ignored because POL wanted evidence and not just objections.

Consumer Focus says POL’s communication was so poor only 20 per cent of those affected realised there was a consultation they could respond to.

It also said the six-week timescale people were given, was far too short.

Bexleyheath and Crayford MP David Evennett was at the forefront of protests about closures in his constituency, which lost more than 40 per cent of its post offices, and he put down two motions in Parliament.

He said: “I am very concerned about the report’s findings.

“It appears to confirm what I believed all along, that these closures were being rammed through by the government without listening to the evidence submitted.

He added: “The Government has closed nearly half of Bexley’s post offices since 2001, despite widespread opposition from local people”.

Derek Conway, whose constituency lost half its post offices, also supported objectors trying to stop the closures He described the consultation process as “cynical”.

Mr Conway added: “POL went through the motions to keep people off its back.

“Neither the politicians nor the public had any say at all.”

“I cannot think of a single case where POL did take any notice of objections.”

Consumer Focus has now made a series of recommendations about future consultation on cuts in public services.