MP 'fighting' to save post office from closure

An MP has said he is "fighting hard" to keep an "essential" local post office open.

The Morley branch near Leeds is one of 115 at risk across the country as part of a radical shake-up of the business.

Mark Sewards, the Labour MP for Leeds South West and Morley, started a petition signed by 1,800 people to save the branch from closure and has requested an urgent meeting with Post Office chairman Nigel Railton.

A spokesperson for the Post Office said the closure plan was intended to "create a new operating model for the business".

Sewards said the town's post office was "one of the most important destinations we have, because of the services it provides".

He added: "We have residents who aren't necessarily used to using online banking, who have come to rely on the services that the post office offers.

"The fact that so many people have signed this petition - so far over 1,800 - demonstrates a clear appetite among Morley residents to keep the post office."

Sewards confirmed that he hoped to discuss the viability of the branch with the Post Office and how it could be retained.

He said there were not enough other places in Morley offering the same range of services and that the Post Office needed to be clear about what it would do "in the event of closure, to make sure that local people didn't lose those services".

He added: "We're not going to wait to be told what the timeline is.

"I'm going to ensure that I meet with a relevant minister to put our case across and to find out exactly what I need to do to keep it open."

The Post Office plans to close or franchise crown offices, which are run directly by the business rather than subpostmasters and are often found in city and town centres.

People in Morley who spoke to BBC Radio Leeds expressed their concerns about the possibilty of losing their post office.

"It's not just a post office, everybody knows everybody," said Melanie Dominic.

The sales negotiator, 52, said she could not picture the town without the post office at 129a Queen Street.

The Post Office is looking at options for its wholly-owned branches, which currently employ about 1,000 workers and are loss-making.

A spokesperson said these could include alternative franchise arrangements where an operator like the retailer WH Smith or another third party could take on the branches.

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