THE High Street post office, which is located in the McColl’s store, will close from next year.
Morrisons, who bought McColl’s out of administration in May, announced last week plans to close 132 of its loss-making McColl’s convenience stores – including the Westbury store.
When Morrisons took over from McColl’s earlier in the year, the move was welcomed in Westbury as it seemed to secure the future of the High Street post office. This latest news will come as a blow to residents as the closest alternative is located in The Ham.
Mayor of Westbury, cllr Sheila Kimmins said, “A post office in the centre of Westbury is not ‘a need’ it is a necessity. So many use it for topping up their electricity and gas cards; for banking, both paying in and withdrawing, (as we now do not have a bank or building society left in the town); letters, parcels, newspapers and more.
“McColl’s deliver newspapers each morning, another service that Morrisons do not currently offer. Our nearest post offices are in other villages or hamlets with no frequent accessible bus service, therefore isolating the elderly, infirm, parents with small children, the vulnerable and those without access to cars.
“When Morrisons came to Westbury, the first thing they did was close the post office, that was in the then Coopers supermarket, showing no interest in the needs of the residents of our town.
“In May this year, Morrisons purchased the McColl’s shops and at the time, the CEO David Potts said, ‘We all look forward to welcoming many new colleagues into the Morrisons business and to building on the proven strength of the Morrisons Daily format.’
“What fine words – five months down the line, Morrisons have announced 132 McColl’s shops to be closed which includes the post offices, thereby preventing any accessible alternative and making jobless all those employed there. All Morrisons have proved is that their ‘daily format’ has no thought for those who live in rural areas.”
Town councillor Matt Dean said, “This hasn’t come as a shock for those that know how the post office has been run – it’s suffered appalling customer service and bad organisation for years. As a town councillor, I have had many complaints from residents about the service being under-staffed People also point out that it often isn’t open in the hours that it advertises, and it can take a long time to be served.
“We need to have a post office in the middle of the town because we don’t have any banks and the local residents rely heavily on this service. I’d like the town council to work with the Post Office to see if a new location can be found in the town.”
A statement from Morrisons reads, “The Westbury store will be closed. A number of McColl’s stores have been loss-making for some time and there are 132 stores where there is no realistic prospect of achieving a breakeven position in the medium term.
“We recognise the particular importance of the community Post Office counters to their local areas, especially around Christmas, so we will delay the closure of the 55 stores which include a Post Office counter – including the Westbury store – until next year to enable them to serve their communities through Christmas and to allow the Post Office additional time to make alternative arrangements.
“We are currently working with the Post Office to see if nearby McColl’s or Morrisons stores could be part of the solution and we are currently looking at a number of potential stores for replacement Post Office counters.”
