Campaign to save Morecambe Post Office gathers pace

Attempts to save Morecambe Post Office from possible closure are gathering momentum.

An online petition has been set up after Post Office Ltd announced that 115 of its directly operated post offices, including the Victoria Street branch, were at risk.

The petition was set up by Councillor Paul Hart, who said: "The post office is a vital service in the heart of Morecambe, and it must stay open.

"There are 3,500 people a week who use and depend on it.  We can't start thinking that it can be downsized and stuck in the back of another store.”

At time of writing, 198 people had signed the petition at the Change.org website.

Morecambe Town Council will also write to Post Office Ltd urging them to withdraw any proposals to close the facility.

This came after a proposal by Councillor Hart and after many town councillors spoke out in support of Morecambe Post Office at a meeting on Thursday evening at the town hall.

It was revealed last week that more than 1,000 staff across the UK could lose their jobs in a radical shake-up as the Post Office laid out plans to stabilise its finances.

One option is the closure of up to 115 branches, said to be loss-making, including the site in Morecambe town centre.

Alternative franchise arrangements could see an operator like WH Smith or another third party take on the branches.

The proposal by Liberal Democrat Councillor Hart (pictured below) said: "The Post Office is an essential and well-used community service, especially in light of recent closures of local banks. 

"Morecambe Post Office is a vital community service, providing essential postal and banking services to residents, many of whom rely on the Post Office for regular financial transactions, bill payments, and access to postal services.

"The closure of the Post Office would disproportionately impact vulnerable groups such as the elderly, those with limited digital access, and individuals unable to travel far for banking services.

"Given the recent wave of bank closures in Morecambe, the Post Office has become an even more important resource for local residents. Its loss would cause significant hardship, reduce the availability of vital services, and contribute to the further erosion of community cohesion.

"Furthermore, Morecambe is in the midst of regeneration efforts, and maintaining such essential services will ensure the town remains resilient, especially with the anticipated increase in visitors due to projects like the Eden Project.

"The Post Office serves around 3,500 users each week, underscoring its importance to the local economy and community well-being. It is therefore essential that the council advocate for the retention of Morecambe Post Office to ensure that local residents continue to have access to the services they rely on."

Councillor Roger Dennison (pictured below), of the Morecambe Bay Independents, said at the meeting that there should also be a "strong recommendation that we should encourage within Morecambe a banking hub given the terrible closure of banking services".

Several bank branches have closed in the town centre in recent years, leaving just Halifax in the Arndale - which is due to close in September 2025 - and the Nationwide building society.

LINK announced in September that they are planning to open a banking hub in Morecambe, offering face-to-face banking facilities.

Banking hubs are shared spaces where personal and business customers can access basic banking services and access to cash.

The hubs have a traditional counter service operated by the Post Office, and community bankers from nine major high street banks operate on a rotating basis to provide support on more specific matters in a private space.

Councillor David Whitaker (pictured below), of Labour, said at the meeting: "We need to make our feelings known to the head of the Post Office.

"A lot of members of the public rely on the services of the Post Office.

"We risk having another empty building in Morecambe.

"A lot of Post Offices across the country are facing this dilemma. We must protect our local Post Office. It has been there for years and is an institution."

Lizzi Collinge, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, said last week on her Facebook page that the possible closure is "very concerning" and that she will be "asking for a meeting with the national Post Office to discuss".

Speaking to Beyond Radio on Friday, she said: "I wrote to the Post Office and asked for a meeting because it's a vital service in Morecambe.

LISTEN to Lizzi Collinge speaking about the future of Morecambe Post Office

"The situation is that the directly-managed post offices, or Crown Post Offices, are loss-making. So they are trying to make changes in how the post office is run so postmasters are paid more. Most of the post offices in (Morecambe and Lunesdale) are run as franchises, but renumeration for those postmasters is currently too low.

"So the Post Office are right at the beginning of a consultation process around the future of Crown Post Offices and how they are run. It's not necessarily saying they will shut down.

"The government has been really clear that we need better remuneration for postmasters but also we need to have the level of service that we currently have, and that the post office needs to meet the needs of community.

"I support Morecambe Post Office and I will do everything I can to ensure it continues into the future."

Beyond Radio listeners have also been speaking out about the potential closure, at our Facebook page.

Dawn said: "First all the banks in Morecambe now the main post office. What don’t they just put a closed sign on Morecambe?"

Julie said: "What about businesses paying in cash and postal services such as recorded delivery etc?"

And Michael said: "I don't even know where the nearest one will be if they shut that because they already closed the One Stop one on Lancaster Road!"

Read more: Morecambe Post Office at risk of closure under radical shake-up plans - Beyond Radio

A strategic review of the Post Office business was called in May, by new chairman Nigel Railton.

Mr Railton said: "The Post Office has a 360-year history of public service and we want to secure that service for the future by learning from past mistakes and moving forward for the benefit of all postmasters. We can, and will, restore pride in working for a business with a legacy of service, rather than one of scandal.

"The value postmasters deliver in their communities must be reflected in their pockets, and this Transformation Plan provides a route to adding more than £250m annually to total postmaster remuneration by 2030, subject to government funding.

"It begins a new phase of partnership during which we will strengthen the postmaster voice in the day-to-day running and operations of the business, so they are represented from the frontline to the boardroom."

Mr Railton's £1.2bn transformation plans, which also include cutting the Post Office's senior leadership team in half and boosting postmaster pay by a combined £250m over five years, are yet to be approved by government ministers.

Kendal Post Office is also on the list of branches under threat.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business and Trade said: "The government is in active discussion with Nigel Railton on his plans to put postmasters at the centre of the organisation and strengthen the post office network for its long-term future."