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Newbury MP slams Post Office over Bucklebury proposals




Richard Benyon said he "objects in the strongest possible terms" to plans to reduce opening hours

NEWBURY MP Richard Benyon has said he “objects in the strongest possible terms” to plans which could see the opening hours reduced at Upper Bucklebury Post Office.

The post office at All Saints Church in Broad Lane is currently open for eight hours a week, from 9am to 1pm on Mondays and 9.30am to 12.30pm on Fridays.

However, new proposals could see those hours reduced to three-and-a- half hours a week on a Monday.

In his letter to the Post Office, Mr Benyon says: “I am writing to object in the strongest possible terms to the proposed reduction in hours.

“Your proposal to cut opening times from eight hours a week to 3.5 hours a week represents a reduction of over 50 per cent from an already pitifully low starting point.

“This is a rural area and the outreach from Upper Bucklebury serves a widespread community.

“Residents suffered a swingeing cut in the last reorganisation and the current Monday and Friday half-day openings represent the very least that the post office should be offering. I would urge you to reconsider your proposal and retain the status quo.”

A Post Office spokesperson said: “We currently operate a hosted outreach service at All Saints Church, Upper Bucklebury, whereby a nearby postmaster visits at set times each week. In order to provide a sustainable service to our customers, it is important that the service is feasible for our operator.

“We believe that the reduction of opening hours at this branch presents the best possible solution to allow us to maintain Post Office services in Upper Bucklebury in the longer term having looked at a range of information specific to the local area before putting our plans into consultation.”

The Post Office is inviting people to comment on the proposals and the public consultation will close on January 11. You can comment via email to comments@postoffice.co.uk, via the helpline on 03457 22 33 44, textphone on 03457 22 33 55, or through an online questionnaire at postofficeviews.co.uk with the branch code 604470.



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