A councillor has vowed to fight to keep a Post Office service in Whaplode after it was revealed it will not be part of the village’s newly renovated Co-op store.
The £1.6 million development, which Lincolnshire Co-op says will create 10 extra jobs, will not retain the Post Office service it previously had when it is scheduled to re-open in March 2019.
It had a combi-counter service when it closed last April.
Villagers now hope another business or organisation can take up the counter, or they will have to continue to travel to use the Post Office in Holbeach.
Store development manager Matthew Wilkinson said: “We want to provide the best service we can at our Whaplode site. After talking to our local colleagues, reviewing the layout of the store and getting positive feedback about our nearby Holbeach Post Office, we decided to give notice on our contract to run the combi-counter in Whaplode.
“It will allow us to maximise space at the tills and improve service at Whaplode. It will also enable us to focus resources on our Holbeach Post Office, which customers have been using since the Whaplode site temporarily closed.”
Whaplode and Holbeach St Johns district councillor Malcolm Chandler though said he had emailed Lincolnshire Co-Op chief executive Ursula Lidbetter who had told him the decision was a financial one.
Coun Chandler says her reply describes having the Post Office counter in the new store as a “false dawn” and it “would be more transparent to close the service now than face issues further down the line”.
“I’m really disappointed and a lot of people have contacted me expressing disappointment,” said Coun Chandler.
“People are having to go further and further for a post office service and some don’t have access to transport.
“I think the Co-op has underestimated the effect it will have on the new store. I will do everything I can to persuade the Co-op of the need for the service, though I don’t think I will win that battle, I will do everything I can to find the Post Office new home in Whaplode.
A Post Office spokesman said: “Lincolnshire Co-op has recently given us notice that they are withdrawing the premises from Post Office use.
“This means that Whaplode Post Office will not be able to re-open in the same place, and we’re very sorry for the inconvenience this might cause. Customers can visit any nearby branch including Holbeach and Spalding.
The Co-op says the new store will host an extra 1,500 product lines when it re-opens.
