BEWDLEY Town Council has thrown its weight behind a bid to save the town’s Post Office as more promising news about its future has come to light.
Morrisons has announced that the store on Load Street is on its proposed list of 100 shop closures, meaning the Post Office will have to close in the next few months should this proposal be confirmed.
This news has been met with concern, as many Bewdley residents fear they will no longer have access to a Post Office service near their homes.
A petition to save the Post Office has gained over 1,500 signatures.
In response to growing public concern regarding the Post Office, as well as the banking services it provides, the Mayor of Bewdley, Coun Sharon Harvey, put forward an item on trhe agenda of Monday’s town council meeting.
Councillors agreed to appoint the town clerk to write to the Post Office, expressing concerns over the future of the service in the town.
The council noted the concern over the proposed closure and the impact it would have on older residents and vulnerable members of the community.
Worcestershire County Councillor Dan Morehead said in his written update to the town council that there are plans for the post office to go out to tender for a new contract.
Coun Morehead added that there are three locations that have expressed an interest in engaging with the tender process.
A spokesperson for Morrisons said a review has identified a number of stores, which were part of the McColl’s acquisition back in 2022, which are loss-making, despite remedial action.
Since 2016, when the last bank, HSBC, closed, the Post Office has been providing an over-the-counter banking service.
A Post Office spokesperson said: “We fully recognise the inconvenience this will cause our customers who rely on our banking and parcel services in particular.
“Should the decision be confirmed that the Morrisons store is closing, the store and Post Office would close in the next few months.
“We will therefore be advertising the vacancy for the branch on our runapostoffice.co.uk website shortly and welcome applications from nearby retailers looking to host a Post Office inside their store.”
