Post office in borough village closing as no-one can be found to run it
Longshaw Post Office in Billinge shut last year when the last postmaster resigned and indicated the building was wanted for other purposes.
Other news: Bonfire Night 2019: Here's where you can catch a fireworks display or bonfire in WiganThe Post Office said it would explore all avenues to ensure the community in the area still had access to its services.
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Hide AdHowever, it has now been forced to admit that there is no solution that will work and told customers they will either have to visit Billinge Post Office on Main Street or travel all the way to Winstanley.
Makerfield MP Yvonne Fovargue (pictured) has said the news is a bitter blow for the area, coming as it does hot on the heels of the announcement that Orrell Post Office was shutting in September.
In a letter to Ms Fovargue the Post Office said the Upholland Road post office closed “for reasons beyond our control”.
The letter went on: “Since then we have been exploring our options for restoring a Post Office service to our customers in the area.
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Hide Ad“Unfortunately, we have been unable to identify a suitable solution and I’m therefore writing to you and other local representatives to advise you that as there have been no suitable opportunities to re-establish a service, this branch will remain closed.
“We regret that we have been unable to restore a service locally.”
Ms Fovargue said it was a matter of urgency that the closures are stemmed, with Orrell shutting for the same reasons as Longshaw.
She said: “Local Post Office provision is now at a tipping point with thousands of branches across the country at the risk of closure.
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Hide Ad“Post offices are a valued part of communities, providing an anchor in many villages and towns across the UK. More must be done to secure a sustainable future for our local post offices.
“Our post offices need a lifeline and we should look at them providing services for a fair return and the case for Government funding to maintain the network going beyond 2021.”
It has been estimated the ending of Government subsidies to post offices in 2021 could mean 2,500 closing.