THE Hollies Inn in Westbury Leigh says that it has been turned down from hosting a post office service due to its distance from the town centre.
The news comes despite the fact that there is only one post office available in Westbury, located at The Ham, following the High Street post office at McColl’s closing its doors on 9th January earlier this year. The post office in Dilton Marsh is also due to close in November.
The Post Office has confirmed that it is still accepting applications from interested retailers in the town but say it has not had any applications at this stage.
Charlie Dale-Staples from The Hollies says that the pub would have been the perfect location for a post office service.
“The post office is a vital service and there doesn’t seem to be anyone else locally who is ready to step forward – it seems a shame to turn down an applicant that is ready and keen. Part of me is questioning whether the Post Office actually wants a service in the town as they’ve taken so long to try and find something.
“We’ve been applying online to host a post office for two years now, but we had never really heard anything back,” explained Dale. “When the post office started advertising again for people to set up a service in the area, we put in another application, but we were told that we are too far out of Westbury and that we don’t meet the town’s needs.
“I understand we are not in the centre of the town but given that there is a post office at The Ham already, a service in Westbury Leigh would mean that both ends of the town could be covered, and the majority of people living in the area would be near a post office.
“We are also on a bus route so access wouldn’t have been an issue for those that don’t live nearby, but it’s clear that they are looking for somewhere in the town centre.”
Fairfield Farm College also recently announced that following financial pressures the post office in Dilton Marsh will close its doors in November. Charlie says that if The Hollies were chosen to host a post office it could have provided a service for residents of Dilton Marsh as well as those in Westbury.
Charlie added, “I don’t suppose the Post Office predicted that the service in Fairfield Farm College would close this year, which is another blow for the community, but we could have filled that void.”
A Post Office spokesperson said, “Our Post Office team has visited retailers in Westbury, and we have had conversations with store owners about this opportunity, however, we have not had any applications at this stage. The vacancy is advertised on www.runapostoffice.co.uk and we are keen to hear from interested retailers. We have not yet had an official resignation from Dilton Marsh post office.”
