The St Albans Post Office – considered by many to be the central hub of the city – is now under threat following the recent announcement of its potential closure.
A total of 115 Post Offices across the country could be forced to close as part of plans to increase pay for postmasters.
It is hard to overestimate the importance that the St Peter’s Street Post Office has to residents, especially those who lived in the city before the advent of the internet.
Lib Dem district councillor Chris Brazier believes the proposed closure will affect people negatively.
He told St Albans News: “People who can’t drive rely on it for pensions, money and passports, and businesses rely on it to send large parcels.
“Today you still see a queue of people waiting to get in in the morning.”
At the time of writing, St Albans City & District Council has passed a motion to contact Post Office bosses to oppose the proposed closure.
Residents have also contacted St Albans News with their views on the proposed closure. Jo Puddy attended St Albans High School for Girls and has memories of going to the building at lunchtime with her friends to take silly photos in the photo booth.
She told St Albans News: “Everyone over the age of 50 will have had their first passports taken there.
“It is inconceivable that a city with the status and stature of St Albans would not have a substantial Post Office.”
Daisy Cooper, MP for St Albans, met with Post Office bosses in Parliament to grill them on why she, St Albans residents and branch staff had only heard about the closure via the media.
She said: “I’m absolutely appalled by the terrible lack of communication and obfuscation from Post Office bosses about the future of the St Peter’s Street Post Office.
“When I met Post Office bosses in Parliament, everything they said created more confusion.
“I’m pleased that after repeated questioning, I managed to pin them down to sharing constituency-specific information with me within seven days. Through a joint effort, our group of cross-party MPs have secured a commitment that Post Office bosses will meet us again early in the new year, once that information has been shared.
“The St Peter’s Street Post Office provides vital services to all of us, but especially to some of the more vulnerable people in our community. I will keep fighting to get answers and to protect Post Office services in the heart of the city.”
The Post Office has been contacted for comment.
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