Just one of the three recently closed Post Offices in Wirral will re-open, Post Office bosses have announced.
In March, Wirral Council backed calls by Councillors Jenny Johnson and Lesley Rennie, to re-open branches in Wallasey Village, Upton and Moreton.
In response, the Post Office has advised the branch in Moreton, known as Saughall Bridge, will re-open following confirmation that an applicant to run it has been successful.
Councillor Vida Wilson (Conservative, Moreton West & Saughall Massie) said:
“While this is good news, the whole process is taking much longer than any us would have liked. Saughall Bridge Post Office is a long-established local branch and is relied upon by residents. The sooner it re-opens, the better.”
Meanwhile, news that the branches in Wallasey Village and Upton will not be replaced has been met with disappointment.
The branch in Wallasey Village closed following the resignation of the temporary operator. In their letter responding to the Council’s vote, the Post Office has said they are not looking to replace the branch due to the proximity of other branches in the area, stating: ‘Alternative branches in the area include Wallasey Road, which is within one mile of the former branch and Wallasey and Seabank branches, which are within 1.5 miles. However, we would consider a Drop and Collect branch in the area and plan to engage with a nearby retailer to gauge their interest in this opportunity.’
Councillor Lesley Rennie said: “The Post Office senior management clearly do not know Wallasey. To expect their customers, many of whom are elderly or disabled, to walk up St Hilary Brow to get to Wallasey Road or to Seabank Road in New Brighton is totally unreasonable. The suggestion that post office services can be replaced with a ‘drop and collect’ service is nonsense.”
“The state-owned Post Office receives substantial taxpayer support. Residents in Wallasey Village will rightly be asking what they are seeing for this ‘investment’ in the Post Office.”
Ford Road Post Office in Upton won’t be re-opening either following claims by the Post Office there was no interest from any local retailers to run it. And, as with Wallasey Village, they are now looking for sites in the area to provide two ‘Drop & Collect’ branches instead.
Dr Jenny Johnson, Conservative Candidate for Wirral West, added: “Between 1997 and 2010, some 7,462 post offices around the country were closed, leaving many residents without access to a post office. This put further pressure on retail areas, as yet more local services were withdrawn. Wirral saw it’s share of these closures, forcing customers to travel further.
“These latest closures will only add to the inconvenience for customers and the explanation from the Post Office, if you can call it that, is wholly inadequate. Post Offices, like banks, are often at the heart of local shopping areas – we have seen the effect on communities when these services are withdrawn.”
Councillors Johnson and Rennie have now written to the new Chairman of the Post Office, Nigel Railton, following the dismissal of his predecessor Henry Staunton in January.
