“I don’t want it to go” – Salford community rallies around Post Office risk of closure

Salfordians have reacted with dismay to news that the Salford City Post office is one of the 115 post offices at risk of closure by 2030.

A man from Salford has set up a petition to promote the planned closure to gain the community’s support to save it.

The former of the petition Johnathon Warmisham said: ‘The closure would be a huge loss to the area and would have a massive impact on the area. It is well used by local people, especially the elderly and vulnerable.

“It is a main post office so offers more services than your typical local office. It also attracts footfall for shopping city”.

Warmisham started the petition two days ago and already has 301 signatures.

Following the decision Salfordians have shared their opinion about the possible closure.

Veronica Merchant, said: “I won’t be able to pay my gas, electric rent, council tax nothing because we’ve got no other post offices around here.

“It is essential, I’ve got disabilities so I can’t travel too far without someone present and I need that post office.”

Douglas Browning said: “If it closes, I think it will create a lot of hardship especially for elderly people. It’s a great post office, I use it a lot and I can’t imagine how I’m going to manage without it.

“There’s always a big queue here, in a franchise or a supermarket it’s going to be smaller so I can only assume the queues will be even worse!”

Joel Goodman, said: “This is a major post office it’s very handy to drop off larger parcels but also it’s a community asset.

“There’s a huge amount of residential property around here, people need the post office for dozens of services. This post office is always busy, there’s always a queue when i get here they should be increasing the capacity not decreasing the capacity”.

Another user of the Post Office, Mrs. Craig, said: “I don’t want it to close, everybody uses it going to put everyone out on a limb”.

Salford MP, Rebecca Long-Bailey, has written to Government ministers to call a halt to the potential closures.

She wrote, “If quality jobs such as theirs are to be replaced with low paid insecure work, it damages our local economies and our high streets, which are often decimated by the closing of Crown offices in prime sites that once provided custom in the area.”

Plans for Salford City Post Office are yet to be confirmed.