The petition of the residents of the United Kingdom,
Declares that Horspath Outreach Post Office should be reopened, further notes that since its closure on 28th March 2025 there has been a significant negative impact on residents who previously used the post office services; further declares that it has impacted elderly people, parents and those with mobility issues or without a car’s ability to access services; further declares that local businesses including Horspath Hub and the Senior Residents Club have been impacted; notes that the Outreach Post Office ran alongside successful community events like coffee mornings; and provided a central community for locals; further notes that the two sub Post Offices 3 miles from Horspath are insufficient to deal with the needs of the community; further notes that a Sub-Postmaster has been found to run the Outreach Post Office; further declares that the Post Office Ltd. should review its reasons for closing the Post Office.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to take immediate action to reopen Horspath Outreach Post Office.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Freddie van Mierlo, Official Report, 16 July 2025; Vol. 771, c. 389.]
[P003085]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Gareth Thomas):
Thank you to the petitioners for raising concerns regarding the closure of Horspath outreach service. The Government recognise how important post offices are to their communities, and thus fully appreciate the impact a post office branch closure can have on a community.
While publicly owned, the Post Office has the freedom to make operational decisions regarding the composition of its network, providing it fulfils the Government-set access criteria. Decisions around individual branches are a matter for the Post Office.
Horspath outreach service closed on 28 March following the resignation of the postmaster. Post Office Ltd has undertaken a comprehensive review of the branch network and regrettably is not looking to replace Horspath outreach service. The next nearest service is at Woodfarm post office which is 2.2 miles away from Horspath outreach service, and is open seven days a week.
The Government protect the post office network by setting minimum access criteria to ensure that 99% of the UK population lives within 3 miles of a post office. The access criteria ensure that however the network changes, essential services remain within local reach of all citizens.