More than 1,000 Letterkenny people have signed a petition supporting the establishment of sub-post offices in the Gortlee and Glencar areas of the town.
The petition is being organised by Cllr Jimmy Harte, Labour Party General Election candidate, and has been running for the past month.
Signatures have been collected at doorsteps in Gortlee and Glencar, while several premises in those areas have also been running the petitions.
The petition is part of an ongoing campaign by Cllr Harte to improve the level of service An Post provides to people living in Letterkenny and the surrounding areas.
He says it is completely unacceptable that people are being forced to queue for long periods outside the Main Street facility and has mooted the idea of establishing sub-post offices in outlying areas which he said could enhance the Main Street service.
Another option is to boost existing services in the Main Street.
He added that the level of support for sub-post offices is indicative of demand for increased services among local people, and said it is now incumbent on An Post to make a decision on the issue.
He now intends to present the petition to An Post next week and he said he hopes it will force them into action.
“Our feedback is that people are frustrated and the staff are frustrated with the ongoing situation. The post office is an integral part of the town centre but unless An Post make a decision the the ongoing situation in the Main Street premises, with queues most days of the week, unacceptable.
“But what our team is hearing at the doors, and my own feeling on it for years, is that An Post have been dragging this issue out and the people who are suffering are staff on the Main Street, and the public.
“An Post have been given the job of providing services for the public and they are failing miserably in this. Both staff and the public are caught in a situation of An Post’s lack of decision-making and scant regard for both staff and public.
“Maybe this petition will get them to make a decision on increased services on the Main Street – either by increasing staff to provide more service, or by including automation for other services – or by providing sub post offices in the outlying areas.
“The public are concerned with the current situation and it has been dragging on for years. It is not edifying to see pensioners and mothers with pushchairs standing in the rain just to collect a payment or send a package. By present An Post with these 1,000 signatures I hope they will be motivated to act and we can put an end to the situation as soon as possible.,” he added.
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