MP holds talks with post office minister on future of rural service

Plaid Cymru MP, Liz Saville Roberts has called for the restoration of Post Office services in Nefyn during talks with the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade.

During the meeting in Westminster with Post Office Minister Kevin Hollinrake MP –  the Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP said the minimum provision acceptable for the rural community would be a mobile outreach van.

However, Mrs Saville Roberts urged the Minister to work towards restoring a full branch service.

Nefyn Post Office has been closed since Sept 2023 and despite initial expressions of interest in taking it over, those have since been withdrawn.

The Plaid Cymru MP says some of the parties withdrew their interest as a direct result of the ongoing scandal engulfing the Post Office.

More than 700 branch managers were prosecuted by the Post Office between 1999 and 2015 after faulty accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their shops.

Mrs Saville Roberts said fallout from the Horizon IT scandal was having a detrimental impact on communities in her constituency.

Faith

She said: ‘The effects of the Horizon scandal and Post Office business practices are still hurting our communities. The post office in Nefyn closed partly because staff no longer have faith in the computer systems and those concerns show no signs of abating.

“I have already asked the Post Office to provide an outreach van in Nefyn which serves a dispersed rural population as it appears no business at all is willing to provide a full counter service but the Post Office have said no.’

“I was glad of the opportunity to meet the Minister having first raised the matter in Parliament a few weeks ago. I pressed upon him to do all he can to urge the Post Office to treat the matter with the urgency it demands and explore all options to restore post office services to the Llŷn community including at the very least an outreach service.’

“The Post Office provides essential services for many people and we need assurances that these will be maintained. The Horizon scandal is a mess of the Post Office’s own making but which is having a damaging and widespread impact on communities across the UK.’

“It is incumbent upon them to restore trust in the service and the first step towards that is to ensure people are able to access services wherever they live.”