Haxby Liberal Democrats to Hold Demonstration Outside Closed Post Office
Liberal Democrat councillors are calling on local residents to join them for a demonstration following the closure of Haxby Post Office, which shut its doors today (Wednesday 14th May). The protest is scheduled for Thursday 15 May at 3pm outside the former post office, to highlight community concern and press for urgent action to restore the local service.
The closure follows the decision by Morrisons Daily to close its store at short notice, which hosted the post office counter. Despite widespread concern, the Post Office Group has confirmed that it will not be pursuing a temporary post office to fill the service gap. In a statement, they claimed that “setting up a temporary post office can be as difficult and costly as setting up a permanent solution. It can also divert valuable time and resource away from finding a permanent solution.”
While the Post Office has said it is “very keen” to see a full service restored as quickly as possible and is working with several interested parties, there are currently no confirmed applicants, and no timeframe has been provided for reopening.
Local Liberal Democrat councillors say the situation is unacceptable and are urging residents to make their voices heard.
Cllr Richard Watson said:
“Thank you again to everyone who has supported our campaign against the closure of Haxby Post Office.
“We find the argument that no temporary solution can be offered extremely hard to accept. Residents should not be left without vital postal services, especially when a stopgap option could make a real difference while a permanent solution is found.
“The blame lies squarely with Morrisons for the rapid closure that left little time to find an alternative. But we must also keep the pressure on the Post Office to act swiftly and bring back a full service to the heart of our community.”
Cllr Ian Cuthbertson added:
“We want to take this opportunity to thank the staff of Morrisons Daily and the Post Office for their service to our community, particularly during the challenges of the pandemic.
“Please be assured we are doing all we can as your local councillors to push for the return of post office services as soon as possible. We hope residents will join us on Thursday to show just how strongly the community feels about this issue.”
The councillors urge anyone concerned about the loss of postal services in Haxby and Wigginton to attend Thursday’s demonstration and help send a clear message that the community will not accept being left without this essential facility.