Lies, damn lies and Post Office statistics

Lies, damn lies and statistics. This is the verdict on the Post Office by respected economist Paul Herrington for its use of 'inaccurate and misleading' figures to justify branch closures. The 68-year-old University of Leicester lecturer should know. He is one of 500 villagers fighting for the survival of the Hilton-on-the-Hill post office in rural Leicestershire.

Paul believes the way data is collected and used to make closure decisions is 'seriously flawed'. He explains: 'It is a daft use of economic resources - it only seems to be good for hiding a multitude of sins.'

The Post Office refuses to give exact details of its closure formula but industry watchdog Postwatch has revealed it is a 'complex mathematical model' involving four key statistics on each branch. These include proximity to other branches, 'customer sessions per week', branch size and the profits for Post Office Ltd - details of which are not made public.

Paul thinks the customer sessions data is particularly nonsensical - it just looks at a single visit made to a branch with no details on type or number of transactions made at that time. It could be a little old lady buying a single stamp or a burgeoning business posting dozens of parcels. He also points out the Post Office has ignored growth potential - another fundamental flaw.

Obviously, Paul has his own agenda but there are still deeply disturbing figures that the Post Office chooses to ignore. Details leaked to Tilton Parish Council show 'customer sessions per week' of 260, ignoring the estimated 30 local businesses that use it. It is also oblivious to the fact there is no bus service to the next nearest branch in Billesdon, more than three miles away and has grossly underestimated the population.

But you don't have to be a top economist to number-crunch the idiocy behind many closures. Norma George, 74, chair of Tilton Parish Council, is furious about the way the so-called 'stakeholder engagement' of consultation has been handled. She has continually been fobbed off with tales that all the information is being put into data modelling. As she says: 'What on earth does that mean? It is all just empty words.'

The cynical manipulation of figures by the Post Office is a scandal.

Toby Walne

toby@walne.co.uk

Comments

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[Nahmeelay]

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