Vale MP Alun Cairns has welcomed the news that following his meeting with Lloyds Pharmacy and the Post Office an agreement has been made in principle to postpone the closure of the Post Office in Highlight Park, Barry.
The Post Office had been set close at the end of October after Lloyds Pharmacy confirmed an intention to surrender the Post Office operation. However following a meeting at the constituency office in Barry, Lloyds Pharmacy met with staff to discuss keeping the Post Office open on their premises until after the busy Christmas period.
The Vale MP called for the meeting to determine what he could do to avoid the closure and to learn about the decision making process. In light of the extension, Mr Cairns has written to the Chief Executive of Tesco to highlight the potential of the supermarket chain operating the Post Office from 2015.
Mr Cairns said: “I am very grateful to Lloyds Pharmacy for meeting with me in Barry and agreeing in principle to extend the life of the Post Office in the store. I am working with the Post Office, Tesco and others businesses to find an alternative site in the area.
“We must avoid a short notice closure, and identify a new site as a priority to ensure that residents in Highlight Park are not left without an essential service during the run up to Christmas.
“There are a number of improvements that could be made to the process when a commercial decision on a particular site is made. I have contacted Vince Cable, Secretary of State for the department responsible to highlight the situation that we have here in the Vale and push for a more efficient switching process. “I will remain in regular contact with the Post Office to ensure that we can maintain a Post Office for those users of the service in Highlight Park.”