Save the Post Office in Caernarfon!

Fears have been raised for the future of Caernarfon Post Office and Llyr Gruffydd has added his support to the campaign to keep it open.

 

Llŷr Gruffydd MS, Sian Gwenllian MS, Liz Saville Roberts MP,  and Cllr Cai Larsen have written to the Post Office urging them to reconsider plans to close the branch, and reached out to acting Chief Executive Neil Brocklehurst to express concerns about the possible effects of closure on their constituents

But reports in the Cambrian News claim that no decision has been made about the branch by the Post Office. 

In their letter, the politicians said:

“The Post Office is duty-bound to offer a certain level of face-to-face services in order to comply with the accessibility needs of residents. Gwynedd as a county has a higher median age than Wales as a whole, and a lack of trust or access means that some of our more senior constituents remain digitally excluded.

In addition, within Caernarfon town lies Peblig, a ward that consistently ranks highest for deprivation in Gwynedd in the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD). Digital poverty is a very real issue in our communities, which places even more emphasis on the need for in-person services.

“The Caernarfon branch serves a wider, more rural area than the town itself and with a lack of a proper public transport infrastructure an acute problem in this area, expecting constituents to travel further afield to access services is unreasonable.”

They also note Caernarfon has unique linguistic needs not necessarily always met by online services or services in nearby towns, and receiving services through the medium of their first language is essential in sustaining trust and loyalty to the Post Office.

They add Caernarfon has struggled in recent years and removing this service “could prove to be the final nail in the coffin”.

A Post Office spokesperson said Directly Managed Branches like Caernarfon are loss-making and they “are considering a range of options” to reduce costs.

However, they say no decision has been made about Caernarfon, or any branch, but added:

“We have long held a publicly-stated ambition to move to a fully franchised network and we are in dialogue with the unions about future options for the DMBs.”

A petition has been started by the Plaid Cymru MSs and Councillors to gain as much support as possible to the campaign to save the Post offive in Caernarfon.

Plaid Cymru's petition reads-

"We call on the Post Office to safeguard face-to-face, over-the-counter services in Caernarfon. 

At a time when the Post Office should be working to restore trust and public confidence in its services, the proposal to close the Caernarfon branch rides roughshod over the needs of customers.

We urge the Post Office to re-think any plans to close this important local branch."

You can support the campaing to save Ceranrfon Post office by clicking here

 

 


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  • Geraint Thomas
    published this page in News 2024-11-20 16:08:28 +0000

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