MP takes his post office campaign to Parliament

Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, made an impassioned speech in support of local post offices in Parliament on Thursday.
He secured a two-hour debate on the future of the service as part of his campaign for the return of a post office to Wellington.
The town has been without a post office since 2019 when the One Stop convenience store in High Street, which housed it, closed. The nearest facility is now at Rockwell Green.
Nearly 300 people have so far signed a petition Mr Amos launched last month.
He told the Commons: “Post offices have long been at the heart of our communities.
“They provide essential services, support local businesses and serve as vital socio-economic lifelines.
“But in too many areas across the country, including my constituency, we face uncertainty over the future of those post offices and are already seeing the erosion of far too many.
“Post offices contribute an estimated £4.7 billion annually to the UK economy.
According to the Post Office, their presence generates an additional £3 billion in spending for the businesses that surround them.
“In a town like Wellington in my constituency, a post office could add around £1 million to the local economy.
“Small businesses across the country rely on post offices for banking, cash deposits and parcel services. Nearly a third of small and medium-sized businesses use the post office at least once a week.”
Mr Amos added: “Of course, the benefits of post offices are not just economic; they remain a lifeline for many, particularly older and more vulnerable people, who rely on Post Office services to access their pension, send mail and parcels, pay bills, and stay connected.
“I hear from many of my constituents how much they value our local post offices, and that those post offices provide far more than just postal services.”
Mr Amos paid tribute to “the friendly and hard-working staff” in his local post offices on Station Road (Taunton) and in Staplegrove, and in other post offices throughout the constituency.
“The North Curry post office, with its amazing postmistress, contributes every year to the ‘Christmas in the Square’ event for the village charity and has raised £1,500. These are real community institutions.
“Their being in our villages and communities, where they offer a warm, friendly welcome and act as a community hub, is important to many people and must not be undervalued.”
Mr Amos said people in Wellington felt “misled and let down” that, when the town’s new banking hub opened, they went inside the building to discover it did not provide any Post Office services
“As we can all see, in this case, there is an obvious and straightforward solution: we should allow banking hubs to offer postal services.
“There is no fundamental reason why they cannot. They already have Post Office tills and Post Office systems. They are run by postmasters and postmistresses and staffed by Post Office staff.
“The one in Wellington even has two banking desks and space for a third desk, presumably awaiting a post office counter.
“That would be a very good use of the remaining space in a building with ‘Post Office’ written above the door.
“Perhaps most importantly, having spoken to Post Office staff, I know that they would be very keen to offer such services in banking hubs.”
In reply, Gareth Thomas, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Business and Trade, said: “Post offices provide hugely important everyday services to millions of people across our country.
“Communities rightly expect to have access to those essential services, just as they would to a GP surgery, a primary school or neighbourhood police.
“That is because, as many Members made clear, post offices are the very beating heart of our towns and villages.
“On the future of the post office, we all know that our high streets have faced huge challenges in recent years. In some cases, the presence of a post office on a high street has been a game changer in driving footfall and attracting custom to other businesses.”
He added: “We will publish a Green Paper before the summer to seek the public’s views, insights and experiences to help shape the future of the Post Office.
“In the meantime, we are taking steps to continue to support the network. Along with the annual £50 million subsidy, we have provided a further £37.5 million to support the Post Office network next year.”
In his closing statement, Mr Amos quoted several constituents supporting the return of a post office to Wellington, including the Mayor, Cllr Janet Lloyd.
Afterwards, the MP said: “I intend to follow this up with the Minister and am grateful that, following the debate, he has agreed to meet with me specifically to discuss Wellington’s need for a post office.
“Combining one with the banking hub is the obvious solution.”

To sign the Wellington Post Office petition, go to: https://www.tandwlibdems.org/our-campaigns/post-office-for-wellington