Barmouth local residents are delighted following the announcement by the Post Office that no changes will be made to services at Barmouth’s Post Office on the high street.
A consultation had begun threatening to reduce the services with changes carried out to the counter service at the local shop where the post office is currently situated.
Plaid Cymru Councillor Gethin Glyn Williams who represents Barmouth residents on Gwynedd Council said: “We are over the moon that the Post Office has made a u turn and confirmed that NO CHANGES will be made to the services here at Barmouth. There was strong opposition locally to the proposals to downgrade the counter and its services.
“There was a strong campaign in the town, with over a 1,000 people signing a petition opposing the changes and nearly 30 individual correspondents sent in. I must pay tribute and thank the local team who has been working tirelessly to gather people’s response, and I’m pleased to have been able to support them in their work,” Councillor Williams explained.
The Post Office Area Manager has clearly stated that they will not change the branch to one of their new local style branches. They will, however, transform the branch to one of their main style branches, providing the same products and services. The transformation work will begin later in the year.
A Post Office Drop In session was held at Dragon Theatre in Barmouth at the beginning of May so local people could express their views and share their concerns regarding the proposed changes.
“The session was definitely of benefit to us, and it just goes to show what can be achieved when people join together and show their strength of feeling. The Post Office has seen common sense and has listened to local people’s concerns. We are grateful to them for taking our concerns seriously and listening to us.”
The Post Office is currently run from the newspaper and goods shop, McCalls, at the high street. The original planned proposals included:
- reducing some banking services for businesses, such as restricting the paying-in cash limit to £1000
- restricting parcels to a specific weight limit sent via Parcelforce 24 and Parcelforce worldwide
- ceasing the NS&I National Savings and Investment service
- ceasing the Passport service
- reducing the counter service and moving the counter, amalgamating it to the shop’s counter service at the front of the shop
- ceasing the on-demand travel insurance
Councillor Williams said: “These changes could have had a real impact on people’s lives, especially businesses in this rural area and elderly people who rely on these services, and are not able to physically or financially travel to another village or town to conduct their business.
“During the summer months, the population increases five fold in Barmouth, so there is a heightened need during those months. Some people, especially the most vulnerable within our society, the elderly, are wholly dependent on public transport. With no train links to Dolgellau, the nearest Post Office services which are 10 miles away, people are completely dependent on our sparse rural bus services.
“Thank goodness the Post Office has listened, and changed its minds on the proposed changes. Our call is now for local people to use these services regularly so we do not face similar threats in the future,” he concluded.
