The petition of residents of the constituency of Ealing Southall in the county of Middlesex,
Declares that Southall Crown Post Office should not be closed by Post Office Limited.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to work with Post Office Limited and Nick Read CEO to ensure that Southall Crown Post Office is not closed.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Mr Virendra Sharma, Official Report, 28 February 2024; Vol. 746, c. 403.]
[P002918]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Kevin Hollinrake):
While publicly owned, Post Office operates at arm’s length from Government as a commercial business with its own board. The management of the branch network is an operational responsibility for Post Office Limited. It would therefore not be appropriate for Government to intervene directly in this situation.
However, the Government recognise how important post offices are to their communities, and thus fully appreciates the impact a post office branch closure can have on a community. The Government-set access criteria ensure that however the network changes, services remain within local reach of all citizens. The access criteria ensure that 90% of the population are within one mile of their nearest post office branch and that 99% of the population are within three miles of their nearest post office branch.
Post Office Limited (POL) advise that the lease for the premises at 38 The Broadway, where Southall post office operates from, will soon expire. POL has decided not to renew the lease at the current premises and is inviting applications from local businesses to open a new branch in Southall. More information is available at: https://runapostoffice.co.uk/branch/southall-post-office-ub1-area-only?search_term=southall-greater-london
There are two nearby post offices, just over half a mile away, at Lady Margaret Road and Mount Pleasant, plus additional branches nearby at King Street and Western Road that will be able to meet the needs of customers who currently use the Southall branch.