The ECHO met with frustrated residents of Woolton Village
Left to Right: Lucy Antal, 57, Cllr Andy Brown, Margaret Davies, 73, and Stephen Ralph, 85, outside Woolton Post Office. (Image: Andy Teebay/Liverpool ECHO)
People have expressed anger after their local Post Office was closed in a community that has seen all three of its bank branches close. The ECHO met with residents of Woolton Village on Thursday, November 13, one of 10 communities across Merseyside to see its local Post Office closed without warning on November 5.
Residents shared their frustration over a perceived lack of transparency over the closures, which the Post Office has put down to “operational reasons”. The publicly-owned firm, which is overseen by the government, has refused to elaborate on this explanation, despite repeated requests from both elected officials and the ECHO.
Last week, 10 branches suddenly closed across Merseyside. Post Office Ltd said his week “it is not known” when they will reopen. The closed branches are Childwall, Hunts Cross, Monument Place, Penny Lane, Toxteth, Tuebrook, Walton Vale, Watts Lane, Formby, and Woolton. Post Office Ltd. confirmed on Thursday all 10 branches have the same operator.
Margaret Hannah, 75, said she has a parcel from Zara trapped behind the shutters. Speaking to the ECHO, Margaret said: “It’s very important to the whole village. I get money out here, pay cheques in, and use it for parcels.”
Lucy Antal, 57, who works for Foodrise and manages the Queen of Greens bus, said: “It’s a really useful service, especially seeing as we don’t have any banks here anymore. A lot of people around here aren’t online and need somewhere to manage their money.”
A young mum reads the notice on closed Woolton Post Office.(Image: Andy Teebay/Liverpool ECHO)
The last bank in Woolton closed in 2022. The closure of the Lloyds branches followed the closures of HSBC and Barclays branches in previous years.
Cllr Kris Brown described the Post Office as “integral” to Woolton Village. He said: “It’s a key community hub, and it’s always busy. Every time I’ve been there’s a queue. For this area, the nearest is Belle Vale, and it’s not the easiest to get to.”
He added one his constituents was unable to work because their Security Industry Licence, required to take up roles in the private security industry, was trapped inside the shuttered Post Office.
Cllr Brown said: “They haven’t been responding to any of our questions, from any elected representative or from journalists. It strikes me that it might be something else.”
The councillor said he has contacted Post Office Ltd to ask for further details following the closure last month, including when the branches would reopen, and what the specific “operational reasons” the firm blamed the closures on are.
He also asked why local elected officials and Liverpool City Council had not been notified of the closures in advance.
In the Post Office’s response to Cllr Brown, seen by the ECHO, a spokesperson repeated the line that the Woolton branch is “temporarily closed for operational reasons”. They add that the firm is “working to restore services as quickly as possible”.
This notice has appeared on the shutters.(Image: Andy Teebay/Liverpool ECHO)
The spokesperson added: “We apologise to our customers for the short notice of the closure and to those who may have to travel further to access services while the branch is closed.”
Cllr Brown said the response “simply will not do” for his constituents and people “right across parts of Liverpool and Sefton”. He said: “Some people are now contacting me saying that they have things like SIA licenses on hold, or other important documentation or packages that they simply do not know how to access.”
The ECHO heard that staff from the Post Office had been seen arriving to open up the branch in the mornings, but had been unable to enter, and that footfall had dropped since the closure.
Shutters have been pulled down for over a week at Woolton Post Office.(Image: Andy Teebay/Liverpool ECHO)
Stephen Ralph, 85, said: “I use the Post Office for cash and paying in cheques because all the banks closed.”
Mr Ralph has a car, but worries for elderly residents who do not drive. He said: “I’ve spoken to staff at other Post Offices, and they say that they’ve asked, but they’ve been told to mind their own business.”
During a flying twenty-minute visit, the ECHO counted six people, some carrying parcels, stopping at the closed Post Office and reading the notice that was recently taped to the shutters.
The notice reads: “Due to unforeseen circumstances this Post Office branch is closed until further notice.”
It then gives Belle Vale Post Office and Springwood Post Office as alternatives. Springwood Post Office is two miles away, while Belle Vale is a mile-and-a-half away from Woolton Post Office.
Left to Right: Lucy Antal, 57, Cllr Andy Brown, Margaret Davies, 73, and Stephen Ralph, 85, outside Woolton Post Office. (Image: Andy Teebay/Liverpool ECHO)
Margaret Davies, 73, is editor and publisher of the local bi-monthly magazine, The L25 Woolton Times. She said: “People who can’t travel, people who are elderly or don’t have transport, they rely on this branch.”
On Wednesday, the ECHO reported that residents in Formby have launched a petition in a fight to save their local Post Office, closed the same day as Woolton.
A Post Office spokesperson said: “There are 10 Post Office branches in the Liverpool area that are currently closed for operational reasons. It is not known when these branches will re-open.
“We are working hard to restore service as soon as possible. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused by these temporary closures.
“In the interim there are nearby alternative branches and customers are advised to visit www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder to find out the locations, opening hours and the range of services offered.
Woolton Post Office has been closed for over a week.(Image: Andy Teebay/Liverpool ECHO)
“Regrettably there are some parcels for collection inside branches which will soon be removed from these locations. Customers will be notified as to where they can collect these items.”
The Department for Business and Trade, the government department that oversees Post Office Ltd, has twice refused to comment, saying the issue was the remit of the Post Office as it fell under day-to-day operations.
How are the closures affecting you? Contact jon.blackburn@liverpoolecho.co.uk