SBC asked to lobby Post Office in support of vulnerable people

When members of the full council meet on Thursday, May 30, they will consider a motion from East Berwickshire independent ward representative James Anderson.

He is urging support for the restoration of Post Office outreach services in his area.

Elderly residents were left without a vital postal service they rely on after it was suddenly withdrawn.

The postmaster from the East Linton branch resigned from operating the postal outreach services at Stenton, Garvald, Dirleton, Innerwick, Cockburnspath, Ayton, including the home services at Drem, and Lonformarcus.

There is no indication that the services will be reinstated with residents being directed to other branches.

Councillor Anderson has expressed his dismay at the sudden withdrawal of the vital Cockburnspath service and blamed poor post masters remuneration for the decision.

His motion requests support from members for Councillor Euan Jardine, the leader of SBC, to write to Post Office Ltd “asking them to prioritise reinstating the Post Office outreach services that serve our most vulnerable citizens in Berwickshire, specifically the Post Office outreach service covering Co-path and Cove, the Coldingham Moor area and other rural locations in the North end of East Berwickshire”.

A Post Office spokesperson has said: “Regrettably, the postmaster from East Linton branch has resigned from operating the outreach services at Stenton, Garvald, Dirleton, Innerwick, Cockburnspath, Ayton, including the home services at Drem, and Lonformarcus.

“Therefore, these services closed from Friday 23 February 2024. The Post Office is facing a particularly challenging period, as are other high street retailers. The impact of rising costs, inflation and restrictions on our funding from the Government mean that while we will always look to re-open branches when they close, we cannot commit to doing so in every instance.

“As part of our continuous review of the Post Office network, we will evaluate Post Office service provision in the area. We want to ensure customers can access our quality services and products across the Post Office network and it is important that any service is sustainable for both the operator and for Post Office Limited.

“We are committed to maintaining our access criteria so that 99 per cent of the UK’s population are within three miles of a Post Office and 90 per cent are within one mile and will continue to review this position and prioritise those areas with the highest need.”