A town without a central Post Office is missing a vital component. Recently the Town Council rejected the idea of locating a Post Office branch in Gateway, the Town Council building in the Furlong. Town clerk Chris Wilkins has been quoted as saying that the lack of a central post office "is likely to be or become a very real inconvenience to many businesses and residents and to contribute to the deline of the town over time".
Comment: The town clerk is right, except that by saying it will contibute to the decline of the town over time, he seems to be suggesting that the town is on the path to decline anyway. This need not be so. Ringwood is a wealthy town with great potential. It is true that the absence of a Post Office, combined with a traffic flow system that isn't fit for purpose and roadworks for 11 months that threaten to strangle the town centre are not helping. But let's be positive. If we can't make a success of an historic market town, ideally located for residents and tourists, adjacent to the National Park, with many more advantages than most towns in England, then there is something seriously wrong.
And we need to put it right.