Potential closure of Kendal and Barrow Post Offices slammed

A councillor will call on the government to intervene with ‘urgency’ to protect post offices in South Cumbria including both Barrow and Kendal branches at a meeting on January 23.

The Post Office revealed in November it is looking to get rid of 115 directly owned branches, including Furness House Post Office and the Kendal Stricklandgate branch, which could see them transferred to retail partners or postmasters – or potentially closed.

Furness House Post Office on Dalton Road (Image: Google Maps) Councillor Dyan Jones (Lib Dems, Windermere and Ambleside) will bring forward a motion at the Westmorland and Furness Council meeting on Thursday (January 23) to instruct the chief executive of the council to write to Post Office bosses to ask for assurances about the future of services they provide.

The motion reads: “Council is disappointed to learn that Post Offices in Westmorland and Furness’ footprint are at risk of closure along with 113 other branches across the UK.

“These Post Offices, in Kendal and Barrow-in-Furness, provide important, vital community hubs and many local residents rely on their services. For Post Office Ltd to announce the threat of closure without consultation with these local communities is of concern to us as Councillors elected to represent them.

“We, the Council, firmly oppose proposals to close our local Post Offices. As such, we ask that the Chief Executive of the Council writes to the Chief Executive of Post Office Ltd expressing our concern and opposition to both the Kendal and the Barrow-in-Furness Post Office closures and asks for assurances for the future of services they provide.

“Council also requests the Chief Executive writes to the Government’s Business Minister, Justin Madders to request that the Government intervenes with urgency to protect these Post Offices from the threat of impending closures.”

Kendal Post Office on Stricklandgate (Image: Newsquest) Post Office chairman Nigel Railton said in November the shake-up will also offer a ‘new deal for postmasters’ by increasing their share of revenue and giving them a greater say in the running of the business as it looks to move on from the Horizon IT scandal that saw hundreds of subpostmasters wrongfully convicted.

MP for Barrow and Furness Michelle Scrogham previously said she would be making the case ‘strongly’ to Royal Mail executives that the proposals are ‘not acceptable’.

READ MORE: Barrow MP slams Royal Mail plans for Post Office overhaul

Mrs Scrogham said: “People rely on post office services and they are vital to communities. Royal Mail need to look again at these plans. We’ve seen lots of branch closures in recent years.”

MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale Tim Farron previously raised concerns regarding the potential closure of Kendal Post Office with a petition against the proposals receiving thousands of signatures.

READ MORE: Petition to protect Kendal Post Office reaches over 2000 signatures

The Liberal Democrat MP told Parliament on November 13 he was ‘deeply alarmed’ that Kendal Post Office on Stricklandgate appears on the list and added three years ago the previous government and Post Office administration threatened the branch with closure.

In response Business and Trade Minister Gareth Thomas said ‘no decisions’ have been taken about Kendal or any other individual directly managed branch.

Mr Thomas added: “We do expect the Post Office to talk to subpostmasters to trade unions and other stakeholders going forward.

“There are significant additional costs associated with the directly managed branches and it’s right the Post Office looks at those questions as well.”

Westmorland and Furness councillors will consider the motion on January 23.