The petition of residents of the constituency of Westmorland and Lonsdale,
Declares that Kendal Post Office should not be included in the list of 115 directly operated post offices at risk of closure; further notes Kendal Post Office’s role as a vital community service at the heart of Kendal; further declares that it should remain in its current position or should only be moved to suitable premises.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government and Post Office to reconsider and guarantee the future of Kendal Post Office.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Tim Farron, Official Report, 25 February 2025; Vol. 762, c. 748.]
[P003046]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Gareth Thomas):
Thank you to the petitioners for raising concerns regarding the potential closure of Kendal Post Office. Given the Post Office chair’s November 2024 announcement on the future of the Post Office, and subsequent media reports on branch closures, I understand local residents’ concerns regarding the directly managed branch within their local area.
No decisions have been made regarding the future of any individual DMBs, including Kendal Post Office. We expect the Post Office to fully engage and consult with local communities, Citizens Advice, trade unions, and potential future partners to consider how to best meet the needs for Post Office services in a local area.
The Government protect the Post Office network by setting minimum access criteria to ensure that 99% of the UK population lives within three miles of a post office. The access criteria ensure that however the network changes, essential services remain within local reach of all citizens.
The Post Office has the freedom to make commercial 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.
The Government will continue to work closely with the Post Office as it develops its transformation plan, while the Post Office continues to deliver on the 11,500 minimum branch requirements set by Government.