Disabled Hastings woman loses High Court challenge against the Government
A severely disabled woman has failed in her High Court bid against the Government.
Two judges in London refused a judicial review challenge by Judy Brown, of Rock-a-Nore Road, to decisions made by the Government and the Post Office to axe thousands of branches - including her local Old Town branch in Hastings.
She claimed the closure decisions discriminated against her and other disabled people.
Mrs Brown accused the Government departments of acting unlawfully by effectively exempting the Post Office from laws requiring public bodies to promote equality for the disabled.
Although she was hoping that the Old Town branch would not close, her court action was aimed not at stopping closures or reversing previous closure decisions, but at making sure future decisions were made fairly and lawfully.
Lord Justice Scott Baker and Lord Justice Aikens held there had been no abuse of power or breach of duty by either department.
The judges said that, even if they had found in Mrs Brown's favour, it would have served little purpose because of the delay in bringing her case.
Post Office closures under the Network Change Programme began 18 months ago and had continued to the point where the programme had been completed in Sussex and almost completed throughout the UK, the judges said.
The court heard that Mrs Brown used the Old Town post office for banking, payment of bills, shopping, correspondence and presents for grandchildren.
She was unable to visit more distant post offices.
Lord Justice Aikens said the local Post Office had long had a place in the affection of the British public and most people's lives had been touched by closures.
"However, the advent of modern technology, the changing habits of the public and the fact that the Post Office network has made vast losses for years have made closures inevitable," he said.
Despite government funding of 2 billion since 1999, the network was losing about 3 million a week by 2006.
The court had heard that, on a strictly commercial basis, only 4,000 of the countrywide network of 14,000 branches would be sustainable.
A decision had been taken, after full consultation, to close 2,500 – not the 10,000 which would require closure on a purely commercial basis.
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