Helen vows to continue fight for Oswestry as Post Office issues ‘uncertain’ update

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has vowed to continue her fight to Save Oswestry Post Office from closure after it was revealed that the branch could be kept open as a franchise.

In a letter to Helen, Post Office HQ confirmed that no decisions have been made to close Oswestry or any of the 115 other Crown branches, also known as Directly Managed Branches.

However, they also confirmed that discussions with trade unions about the financial sustainability of Crown branches are ongoing and will continue until March 2025, adding that ‘The current DMB model has no retail offering (e.g. groceries), coupled with high property costs and shorter opening hours’.

It comes as 2,500 residents and businesses have signed Helen Morgan’s petition showing the strength of local opposition to proposals to close Oswestry Post Office

The Post Office say that any proposed changes will be subject to government funding and public consultation, which would come after this point. However, Helen is concerned that the points raised about a lack of financial sustainability are designed to act as a subtext for the permanent closure of Oswestry branch.

Adverts are now being launched inviting expressions of interest from potential franchise operators to gauge what interest exists for the running of Crown branches including Oswestry. The adverts are set to run until January 3rd.

Meanwhile Helen is set to meet Post Office representatives in Parliament, where she will advocate for keeping Oswestry and press for greater clarity about the Post Office’s long-term plans.

Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, said, “Oswestry simply can’t afford to lose another service.

“While it’s good to see the Post Office confirming that no decisions have been made, exploring franchising raises real questions about maintaining the level of service our community depends on. I will keep pushing to ensure Oswestry’s needs are not overlooked, particularly given how the Crown branch offers a full range of services to local businesses which would be lost otherwise.

“This is a fight that requires everyone’s support, and I am incredibly thankful to the 2,500 residents who have signed our petition. It’s not about politics, it’s about preserving essential services for Oswestry. I will continue to work with colleagues from all parties and keep local residents updated on the situation.”

Here is the text from the letter from the Post Office:

Dear Helen,

It was good to meet you to discuss Oswestry Post Office, and I promised to keep you updated.

We understand that the recent media coverage claiming Post Office has decided to close its remaining Directly Managed Branches (DMBs) may have been unsettling for your constituents. With that in mind, I want to reassure you again that Post Office has not made any decisions about any DMBs, including Oswestry Post Office.

Until March 2025, we will be in dialogue with the unions to consider options for the DMBs that tackle the losses these branches make. These discussions with the unions are critical and will be undertaken before we make any decisions.  It’s also worth noting that any proposed changes to DMBs are subject to Government funding and stakeholder consultation.

Despite being inaccurate, the recent media coverage has interestingly led to several independent postmasters, as well as some of our retail partners, contacting us to register their interest in DMB franchise opportunities. The current DMB model has no retail offering (e.g. groceries), coupled with high property costs and shorter opening hours than franchise branches. We have long considered that many of these branches could be financially sustainable if franchised, benefitting customers and postmasters.

To gauge market appetite and explore whether franchising could be a viable option, we will be inviting expressions of interest in operating post offices in all remaining DMB locations, including Oswestry Post Office. These adverts will run from 2 December until 3 January and we will review all submissions, sharing results with the unions and other stakeholders. Advertising these opportunities is important as it will allow us to assess whether franchising is a possibility in each location.

We will explore market interest in our DMB locations in parallel with engaging with the unions on other options to make DMBs more financially viable; undertaking both exercises will help ensure that we make the best decisions for the future of each of our DMBs and, in doing so, strengthen the network for the benefit of both customers and postmasters.

As a reminder we have invited you to our drop-in event in Room O of Portcullis House on 11th December, from 9.40-11.30am. At the drop-in, you can hear more about our new five-year strategy, the future of the Post Office network and also meet independent postmasters who have successfully assumed operation of a former DMB.

Lastly, a few MPs have expressed an interest in visiting their DMB; if this is the case, please reach out through me to arrange this so we can inform staff in the branch to expect a visit.

If you have any further questions, please do come along to our drop-in.