Group close to reaching goal to save Post Office

A group set up to save a post office in Rutland are "within a few thousand pounds" of raising enough funds to buy the business.

Robin Bromiley, 73, has served as postmaster at Uppingham Post Office since 2009, but has had to postpone his retirement over the last three years as he has struggled to find a replacement.

Bromiley believes the Horizon IT scandal, which saw hundreds of sub-postmasters wrongly prosecuted after faulty software suggested money was missing from branch accounts, has put off potential buyers.

Residents set up community benefit society Uppingham Market Place Community Shop Limited to raise £65,000 to purchase it and keep it open, and have now raised about £60,000.

A community benefit society is a not-for-profit organisation registered with the Financial Conduct Authority to own and manage local assets.

The Uppingham group has raised money through loans and supporters buying shares of £100 or more to back its campaign.

It has also received an £18,000 grant from Uppingham Town Council.

Philip Warner, from the society, said it was vital to save the post office as it acted as a "community hub" for the town.

He said it was able to help people with returning parcels as well as helping market traders with access to cash because of bank closures.

"You need vibrant, independent organisations like post offices and shops," he said.

"If you don't have access to things like this, then the high street itself starts to diminish."

If the financial target is reached, the group said it would purchase the business from Bromiley, and then apply to the Post Office to be appointed postmaster, Warner said.

He estimated that process could take six to 12 months.

"There's certain hurdles you have to leap in order to prove that you're going to look after the post office properly and so on," he said.

However, if the target is not reached, and no buyer is found, Bromiley said he "could" walk away, although he added he strongly does not want to do that.

Warner said the society is run by volunteers and owned by members.

"We're all from different walks of life, but what we have in common is that [Uppingham] is where we live," he said.

"We care about where we live, and we want to do what we can to keep the post office open for the people of Uppingham."

A Post Office spokesperson said: "There are many examples of successfully run community-run shops across the UK operating a post office.

"We would be happy to put representatives from the Uppingham community in touch with other community-run shops that operate post offices."

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