Delight but confusion over Euro sale decision

Euros are to become available on demand at the Elmer Beach Stores and Post Office in spite of the business facing an uncertain future.

Postmistress Tracey Johnstone has been left delighted but confused by the decision to let her sell and buy her first foreign currency on the spot to anyone who walks in the door.

The change at the Elmer Road business takes effect from next Monday.

Until then, all foreign currency has to be ordered a day in advance.

The improvement was granted to the post office without any request from Mrs Johnstone. It comes at a time when the Elmer Beach branch along with all the other 15 post offices around Bognor Regis faces an uncertain future.

The decision about which will survive a major cull of the branch network will be announced by Post Office Ltd in late January.

Mrs Johnstone said the uncertainty was very unsettling.

"It's good news that we can sell the euro on demand, and I am thrilled by it, but I don't know what kind of message that is sending to other post offices nearby.

"I just don't know what to think. I can't see all the money being spent on promotional material for the foreign currency and then the post office will have to close.

"They must have some idea who will survive. But, if that is the case, why can't they tell us?

"It's been 18 months now since this uncertainty began and that's too long.

"If it was a private company being taken over, the matter would have been settled long before this," she stated.

She added that assessors from Post Office Ltd had been travelling around Bognor in the past two weeks judging which branches had a future and which did not.