Politicians’ call to keep Welsh-speaking community’s post office open

Dale Spridgeon Local Democracy Reporter

Fears have been raised that the potential closure of a Post Office branch could be the “final nail in the coffin” for a predominantly Welsh-speaking community’s town centre.

The Post Office last week confirmed it could close up to 115 branches – with the Caernarfon site among those affected.

The locations earmarked for potential closure are the last remaining sites that are directly owned by the Post Office, known as Crown Post Offices branches.

The Post Office says it is “considering a range of options” to reduce central costs, and said some of the at-risk branches could end up being franchised to a retailer or independent postmaster.

Concerns

Politicians in North Wales have written to Neil Brocklehurst, the acting chief executive of the Post Office, to express their concerns.

Arfon MS Siân Gwenllian, Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP Liz Saville Roberts MP, North Wales regional MS Llŷr Huws Gruffydd and Caernarfon councillor Cai Larsen have written the joint letter.

They said: “The Post Office is duty-bound to offer a certain level of face-to-face services in order to comply with the accessibility needs of residents.

Gwynedd as a county has a higher median age than Wales as a whole, and a lack of trust or access means that some of our more senior constituents remain digitally excluded.

“In addition, within Caernarfon town lies the Peblig ward, a ward that consistently ranks highest for deprivation in Gwynedd in the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD).

“Digital poverty is a very real issue in our communities, which places even more emphasis on the need for in-person services.

“Furthermore the Caernarfon branch serves a wider, more rural area than the town itself and with a lack of a proper public transport infrastructure an acute problem in this area, expecting constituents to travel further afield to access services is unreasonable.

“Let us conclude by highlighting Caernarfon’s very unique linguistic needs, needs that aren’t necessarily always met by online services or services in nearby towns.

“As a predominantly Welsh-speaking community, receiving services through the medium of their first language is essential in sustaining people’s trust and loyalty to the Post Office.

“Caernarfon town centre, like town centres across the county has struggled immensely in recent years, a situation worsened by Covid-19 and the cost-of-living crisis.

“Removing services such as the one you provide could prove to be the final nail in the coffin.

“At a time when the Post Office should be working to restore trust and public confidence in its services, this proposal rides roughshod over the needs of customers and we urge you to re-think any plans to close your Caernarfon branch.”

Petition

A petition to save the branch has also been launched, and Ms Saville Roberts says she will write to business secretary Jonathan Reynolds about the issue.

A Post Office spokesperson said: “We are considering a range of options to reduce our central costs.

“This includes considering the future of our remaining Directly Managed Branches (DMBs), which are loss-making.

We have long held a publicly-stated ambition to move to a fully franchised network and we are in dialogue with the unions about future options for the DMBs.”