North Shropshire MP vows to fight to save town's Post Office from the axe

Oswestry's Post Office is among 115 'Crown Post Offices' named in the organisation's 'transformation plan', which could see the branch either sold off or closed.

Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, said any closure threatens to leave many residents without easy access to postal and banking services, which she said are particularly important for elderly residents, small businesses, and those without access to reliable public transport.

She has launched a petition to 'Save Oswestry Post Office',  which she said provides critical services for residents, from postal services to bill payments and financial transactions. 

It is also the only Post Office in the area which has the full range of services for businesses and the news it could close comes as banks increasingly shut down branches in market towns, with Barclays in Oswestry closing in 2023 and Halifax in the town due to shut in 2025.

She added she will be meeting Post Office representatives to make the case for saving the branch in the coming days.

Ms Morgan said: “The closure of Oswestry Post Office would be a devastating blow to our town. This facility provides services that are indispensable to our residents, especially older adults and those without access to a car.

“Asking people to travel further for basic services would place an unfair burden on some of our most vulnerable residents. I urge the Post Office to listen to the community’s concerns and keep this essential service open for the people of Oswestry and the surrounding areas.

“We have launched a community petition to make clear the strength of support for saving Oswestry Post Office – we need to show that this is an issue residents care about, and that we are not prepared to lose another service.”

James Owen, Oswestry town councillor, said: “Our Post Office is a lifeline for many people in Oswestry. It not only provides postal services but also supports our small businesses and helps maintain a sense of community. Losing it would impact everyone, from families and elderly residents to local entrepreneurs.

“We need to ensure that Oswestry retains access to these crucial services, and I look forward to getting out on the doorstep with a petition to show that residents feel strongly about this issue.”

A spokesperson for the Post Office said: “We are considering a range of options to reduce our central costs. This includes considering the future of our remaining Directly Managed Branches, which are loss-making. 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.”