A CAMPAIGNER has criticised moves to downgrade a town’s Crown post office.

The Post Office is proposing to close the building in Newhaven High Street and transfer to a refurbished site in Newhaven Square.

Subject to a consultation launched yesterday, the services will be provided through a franchise alongside a newsagent.

Jennifer Jones, from Church Hill, Newhaven, said the town needed a main post office and vowed to take the fight to keep it to Downing Street if necessary.

Earlier this year she wrote to the Queen, including a poem, outlining her concerns.

This week she received a letter back saying her letter had been forwarded to the Secretary of State responsible for the matter.

Miss Jones said: “Newhaven has no banks, no building society and has lost three sub post offices.

“The only thing we do have left is the Crown post office and we need it.

“This is not a backwater. We are a port town with links to France and London.

“This nothing more than privatisation and there is no way we are giving up on this.

“We have a petition signed by thousands and we will take this matter to 10 Downing Street if we need to.”

The Post Office says the move will offer longer opening hours including Saturday afternoons.

An automatic entrance door will be installed and wide aisles and low level counters will improve accessibility.

The new branch would offer the same services as before apart from the biometric enrolment service for the Home Office.

Post Office sales and trade marketing director Roger Gale said the move would help ensure the long term commercial viability of the branch and protect services.

He said: “The post office is committed to keeping our services at the heart of communities which we know is hugely important to people.”

The consultation ends on June 28 and if approved, the move will be in October.