Fight is on to save crown post office

Torridge councillors are making a case to the government keep Bideford’s crown post office.

They say it is vital to the high street, a lifeline for elderly and vulnerable residents and essential to local business since a number of banks closed in the town.

The Post Office is looking at options for its 115 wholly owned branches as part of a radical shake up of the business following the Horizon IT scandal in which hundreds of subpostmasters were wrongly convicted of theft and fraud.

The post office in Bideford, along with Paignton and Mutley Plain in Plymouth, are among the 115 which may become franchises as the company says they branches lose money.

Some 1,000 jobs will be at risk natiionally should the proposal go ahead.

Members of Torridge District Council unanimously supported Cllr Teresa Tinsley’s (Lib Dem, Bideford North) motion to fight to save the Bideford branch by writing to the government, Post Office Ltd and Conservative MP for Torridge and West Devon Sir Geoffrey Cox.

She said closure would damage efforts being made to boost footfall in Bideford and regenerate the town and would result in an empty building in a strategic location.

“I do not think we should be complacent about franchising,” she said. “Services tend to be more restricted, opening hours often shorter and the continuity of service more precarious.

“When Wadebridge post office was franchised, it moved to WH Smith, then to the Spar, then another newsagents, then there was no service for months, and now it is in temporary accommodation waiting for another solution. The same happened with Torrington a couple of years ago.”

Cllr Tinsley said that on its website, the Post Offices Ltd claims main branches are anchors to the high street, and a bridge between the online and offline economy.

“It’s absolutely true here. The post office is a vital lifeline, especially for older and more vulnerable residents, and it drives people to the high street. It always has queues and offers a full range of services used by people from across the district.

She said people had commented on the “friendly, helpful and patient staff” who now stand to lose their jobs.

“It’s a kick in the teeth for regeneration. On one hand, we are offered millions of pounds of levelling up funding and vital services are taken away with the other.”

Most post offices are franchises. The company’s interim chair, Nigel Railton, says moving the rest to this arrangement would result in an additional £250 million extra revenue for subpostmasters.

Plymouth City Council is also writing to the government opposing the move.