Rallying call to save PO
Reporter EFFORTS are under way to save a town’s post office from closure.
Staff at Whitley Bay Post Office, based inside McColl’s on Park Avenue, have been told the store is to close on December 2 and the post office itself is expected to shut towards the end of December.
The news has resulted in anger in the community and a petition has now been started to save the service. Around 500 people have already signed the document.
The Post Office says they are investigating options to keep a service running in Whitley Bay. A spokesman said: “Following the resignation of the current operator and the withdrawal of the premises for Post Office use, Whitley Bay Post Office will temporarily close later this year.
“We would like to reassure customers that we are committed to maintaining services in the area and are currently investigating the options available which will enable us to provide a Post Office service to the local community in the future.”
Helen Jobson, a supervisor at the Whitley Bay branch, says the facility is vital and a new premises should be found within the town. She added: “We have started a petition because a town like Whitley Bay needs to have this service. We are thriving as a post office and the footfall is high. People often travel to the town centre on the bus or the Metro, and shop around in the stores here as well as using the post office. A lot of elderly people do that and this will have a negative effect on them.
“We have also been contacted by a number of businesses who are worried that the loss of the post office will have a knock-on effect on other traders. We want the Post Office to find a way to keep this service running in Whitley Bay.”
Around six staff members are also facing an uncertain future.
Whitley Bay councillor Margaret Hall is backing the campaign. She said: “This is appalling news. The Post Office provides a vital service in Whitley Bay and any plans for its closure must be strongly opposed.
“The Post Office is a lifeline for thousands of local residents and hundreds of local businesses. All of us, every single one of us, must now make it clear that Whitley Bay needs its local post office.
“And I urge all local residents to sign up to this petition. I am now seeking urgent clarification from those involved – and their promise of no closure and no cut in services until every possibility to save the post office has been explored. It would be madness to close the post office at its busiest time of the year.
“At a time that Whitley Bay seafront is undergoing a £40m regeneration programme and a resurgence in local confidence has seen new shops and businesses moving into the town, the closure of the post office would rip the heart of the town centre.”
A spokesman from McColl’s confirmed the shop will be closing.
Their statement says: “Having explored all options, regretfully we have taken the difficult decision to cease trading at the McColl’s store on Park Avenue in Whitley Bay. The store’s last day of trading will be December 2, however, we will continue to run the Post Office until December 21.
“We are saddened to no longer be operating the store and our priority has been to support all affected colleagues.”