Mystery over sudden closure of 'vital' post office

A post office which was closed suddenly leaving local residents without access to "vital" services for several months should be reopened as a matter of urgency, a councillor has said.

The post office in Tong Street, Bradford, has been closed since October after a notice appeared on the door saying it was shut for "operational" reasons.

Calling for its reopening, Matt Edwards, Green Party councillor for the Tong ward, said the post office was "much more than just a place to buy stamps" and for a lot of people it was a "lifeline".

A spokesperson for Post Office Ltd said the organisation was "working hard to restore service as soon as possible".

However, Edwards said it was "just unacceptable" that residents in the area, many of them elderly or with transport challenges, were now being asked to travel two miles (3km) to another post office.

Residents living off Tong Street and in parts of Holmewood were being "left without vital access to services like cash, being able to pay bills, being able to collect pensions", Edwards said.

"Parts of this community have some of the lowest car ownership levels, not just in Bradford, but in the country, so for a lot of people that journey just isn't realistic.

"This post office was a lifeline that's just been completely removed, and it's not good enough."

People walking past the branch's closed red shutters said its closure had come about with no warning.

Joanne Puttock, who used the branch regularly, said: "I came up one day and it was just closed.

"People are missing it. They should bring it back, as simple as that."

Another man, who asked not to be named, said the branch was heavily used and the sign directing people to other branches was "not very helpful" for people with mobility issues.

"It's very, very busy. It's essential in Holmewood and the surrounding areas that this caters for," he said.

"People are missing it, especially the older people who aren't mobile. People are worried - it's difficult for everybody."

Edwards said he had contacted a local housing association to explore whether alternative premises could be found for the branch.

Post Office Ltd was "a big business, they make a lot of money, and they need to be serving the communities they're there to represent", he said.

The councillor added that there had been "no sign that Post Office have done anything in the last two months".

"All we're getting is copy-and-pasted 'insert name of post office here' messages, which could have been sent about any closure in the country."

A Post Office spokesperson confirmed the Tong Street branch had been closed temporarily for "operational reasons" since 21 October.

"We apologise for any inconvenience that this unplanned closure may have caused. We are working hard to restore service as soon as possible," they said.

The spokesperson urged customers to use alternative branches at Birkenshaw, Bierley, St Johns and Sticker Lane.

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