Post Office closure plan 'disappointing', says MP

4 hours ago

Louise Fewster,Yorkshireand

Anttoni James Numminen,Local Democracy Reporting Service

News image — The Post Office has said it is searching for an alternative location in Scarborough

TG Jones Shop with white and blue front. In the middle of the picture are two signs. On the left is the words TG Jones in capital letters with blue background and on the right are the words Post Office on a red background. A cash machine is just under the Post Office sign. There are a set of double doors under the signs with a woman coming out of the doors on the left. — The Post Office has said it is searching for an alternative location in Scarborough

The planed closure of Scarborough's main post office in the coming months is "disappointing", the town's MP has said.

The Post Office confirmed its branch inside the TG Jones store on Westborough would close shortly before the store itself was shut as part of a wider restructuring programme.

The town's Labour MP Alison Hume has urged the Post Office to find an alternative location for this "vital lifeline" to be found.

The Post Office said a final closure date had not yet been confirmed and that it was reviewing applications from potential operators, meanwhile the Falsgrave Road and Newlands Park branches had been identified as alternative locations while a permanent replacement was found.

Hume said she had made it clear to the Post Office that any replacement for the Westborough branch must be "accessible and convenient".

"We need a town centre provision," she said.

"Post Offices are a vital role, particularly for older residents and vulnerable people, so this closure is not good news."

'Long way to go'

The planned closure of the Westborough branch has also prompted concern among local councillors, who said they feared it could leave many residents without easy access to key services.

Janet Jefferson, who represents Castle Ward, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service she was particularly worried about people who currently travelled into the town centre to use the branch.

"A lot of people use that branch. A lot of them get the bus, get off in the town centre and it's easy for them," she said.

Alternative branches at Falsgrave Road and Newlands Park would be less convenient for many users, Jefferson added.

"I know Falsgrave, if you have got a car, is fine - but if you have not, it's a long way to go."

The Post Office said in its letter announcing the closure plan that "the provision of a Post Office service to our customers in the area is important to us".

The letter added that the Post Office was "working hard to find a location nearby to continue offering services to the local community in Scarborough".

The closure follows similar changes elsewhere, including the recently announced closure of the main Post Office branch in York city centre following restructuring by Modella Capital, the owner of TG Jones.

TG Jones has been contacted for a comment.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.