Jamie Stone calls on politicians, community leaders and public to work together on post office for Wick
Local MP Jamie Stone has called for politicians, community leaders and the public to work together to bring back a post office to Wick following the closure of its town centre branch.
He also suggested Wick could follow the example of an Easter Ross village where a post office was opened within a community-run hall last year and said he would be raising the issue with the UK government.
Temporary postmaster Kevin Milkins closed Wick's post office at 125-127 High Street at the beginning of last week. A mobile post office is visiting the riverside car park three days a week as a temporary measure.
Local MSP Maree Todd said she was concerned that local needs would not be met by the temporary model. She has written to Post Office headquarters asking what options are being looked at to find a permanent solution.
Mr Stone, the Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, said: "This is seriously bad news and just goes to show the strain under which our local services are operating.
"Politicians, community leaders and members of the public now must work together to get a post office reopened in Wick."
Last April, Mr Stone carried out the official opening of a post office in the Seaboard Centre, also known as the Seaboard Memorial Hall, at Balintore in Easter Ross.
The MP said: "The initiative that we took in Balintore could be the blueprint. The reopened post office is incorporated in the well-used Seaboard Memorial Hall.
"I will be raising this with the UK government in the urgent future and hope that they look at this approach when considering support."
Ms Todd, the SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, said: “The Post Office offers a vital service to our rural communities. It is valued among both locals and small businesses who rely on an accessible service.
"Postal services are particularly important in rural areas, like Wick, where there is limited access to alternative services.
“Whilst I welcome the Post Office’s efforts to provide an interim solution by arranging for a postal van to visit Wick’s riverside car park three times a week, I am concerned that the needs of the community will still not be sufficiently met under this temporary model.
“I understand that the Post Office is working to seek a permanent solution and I have written to them to request detail on the options that are being considered along with expected timescales for a fully restored service.”
The mobile post office run by Glyn and Joy Jackson will be available for between three and five hours at a time.
They agreed to step in after the closure of the High Street branch on February 20 left Wick without a shop-based post office for the second time in just over two years.
Mr Milkins (66) had intended to pull out at the end of March but decided to bring forward his scheduled retirement from the business.
The van will visit the riverside car park on a Wednesday (10.30am to 2.30pm), Thursday (9am to 2pm) and Friday (11.15am to 2.15pm).
Alternative post offices are at Watten, Halkirk and Thurso.
Highland councillor Raymond Bremner said last week: "Everyone who has provided a permanent post office premises in the town over many years is to be commended.
"While I totally understand that the delivery of the service relies on a business literally being a host, I’d like to know what the Post Office is doing to review how best it can support businesses that would be acceptable to supporting a post office service delivery within their premises and the opportunities that this may provide them.
"I’ll continue with my dialogue to see if this can achieve an improved outcome for the future.”