MP launches petition to save Post Office branch

Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes MP Melanie Onn has launched a petition to save a Post Office in her constituency from closure.

Onn said she was "deeply saddened" to hear the Grimsby Victoria Street South site is at risk and called it "a lifeline for so many residents".

The branch is one of 115 crown-owned outlets at risk of closure following the state-owned company’s recently announced strategic review.

The review aims to put the Post Office on a more commercially sustainable position. The company made pre-tax losses of over £80m in 2022/23 and is reliant on an annual government subsidy.

Neighbouring Brigg and Immingham MP Martin Vickers has suggested the Post Office move it to smaller premises rather than resort to its closure.

Across East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, branches in Bridlington, Bransholme and Stamford are also at risk of closure under the consultation, which residents have criticised.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Onn said the branch in Freshney Place was "one of the few places left that operates as a larger scale, traditional Post Office".

She said that people "mustn’t forget" the varied services people use the branch for including banking, passport services and purchasing insurance.

She added: "For those who aren’t comfortable using the internet, these in-person services are absolutely vital, and we need to make sure they remain available for everyone."

There are 11,500 Post Office branches throughout the country. Most operate on a franchise model, where they are based within small independent businesses.

None of the seven other smaller branches in Grimsby are under threat of closure.

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