Bideford Post Office - Update

Speaking to Torridge District Council in support of her motion at yesterday's full council meeting on the threatened closure of Bideford Post Office, Liberal Democrat Councillor Teresa Tinsley said,

'On 12 November, the BBC reported that Bideford Post Office was on a list of 115 threatened with closure as part of a ‘radical shake up’ of the business.

These 115 are the only ones left which are wholly owned by the PO and have staff employed by the business. The rest are franchises based in other shops, like WH Smith in Barnstaple. I don’t think we should be complacent about franchising. Their services tend to be more restricted, opening hours are often shorter. And the continuity of the service is more precarious – when Wadebridge PO was franchised it moved to Smiths, then to the Spar, then to another newsagents, then there was no service for months and now it’s in temporary accommodation waiting for another solution. The same thing happened in Torrington a couple of years ago.

The Post Office corporate website says that PO’s are: ‘an anchor to the high street’, ‘a bridge between the online and offline economy’, ‘a vital lifeline’, and they ‘drive footfall to the high street’. I think we’d all agree.

Our Post Office brings people into the centre of town. It offers the full range of services, used not just by us Bideford residents, but by people from across the district. You can get help with passport and driving licence applications, foreign currency, paying gas and electricity bills, etc.

That bridge between the online & offline economy is especially important for older and more vulnerable members of this community.

We’ve had bank closures already. Since then, Post Office banking services have become even more important. Local businesses are able to pay in cash at the end of the day.

Since we set up our petition, people have been commenting what great staff our Post Office has – so friendly and patient and helpful. They stand to lose their jobs.

And the Post Office is well-used – there is always a queue.

If it closes or moves, we get another empty building in a strategic location. It may also undermine the Royal Mail sorting office – will that follow?

I am a member of Bideford Regeneration board. The key objectives on our agenda are: increasing footfall in the town centre, supporting businesses, and finding solutions for empty premises.

This takes us backwards – it’s a kick in the teeth for regeneration.

The business decision will be made a long way away with little concern for us. But I do think that we as a council should make our case to the Government and to the Post Office bosses that it makes no sense to be offered with one hand potentially millions of pounds in Levelling up funding if vital services are taken away with the other.

I hope members will support my motion'. 

The motion, passed unanimously, was that the Council should write to the Post Office, the relevant government minister, and the MP, about how damaging closure would be to regeneration in the town and wider district.

Go to https://www.twdld.org.uk/campaigns/save-bideford-post-office to sign the petition to save Bideford Post Office.